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The WAZA Decade Project | p 2

Sexual Coral Reproduction | p 7

WAZA Annual Report 2012 | insert

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EditorialContentsGerald Dick

Imprint

Dear WAZA members and friends!

This edition of WAZA News is a very special one. With the support of WAZA’s aquarium committee chair and past president, Dr Mark Penning and Paul Boyle of AZA, we have designed a focus on aquariums and water related issues. As the interest was overwhelmingly great some of the submitted articles have to be postponed for publishing in a later edition of the WAZA News. Nicely coinciding with this focus are some decisions which were taken at this year’s CITES CoP16 and are related to listings of shark species. With this edition of WAZA News we are also starting a series about the WAZA Decade project, which has taken off the ground enormously well. Throughout the year you will be informed about the developments until the planned launch during the WAZA marketing conference in May 2014.Included here is also a generous offer for our members by the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine: free online access to the Journal, please see the details about how to get access!Also included in this edition is the WAZA Annual Report 2012, summarizing the major issues of last year, activities, successes and the financial situation. When editing this edition of the WAZA News, the executive office was busy in preparing the midyear meetings, includ-ing not only the Council meeting here in Gland, but also the animal welfare

Editor: Gerald Dick, WAZA Executive Office IUCN Conservation Centre Rue Mauverney 28 CH-1196 Gland Switzerland phone: +41 22 999 07 90 fax: +41 22 999 07 91

strategy workshop – the first milestone for getting clarity on basics on a global scale. As always we were also happy to welcome the CBSG Strategic Commit-tee in Gland.With a warm welcome to our new members and a big thank you to the executive office staff team for the excel-lent work.

Gerald Dick WAZA Executive Director

ISSN: 1662-7733

This edition of WAZA News is also available on www.waza.org (members’ area).

Printed on FSC paper.

Edition: 550 copies © WAZA 2013

Layout and typesetting:

michal@sky.cz Print: Agentura NP, Staré Město, Czech Republic

Founding Member

WAZA Biodiversity Decade Project ...........................2

Aquaria, the Blue Glass Landscape ...................................3

International Aquarium Congress .....................................4

Review of Japanese Aquariums ..................................5

Sexual Coral Reproduction & Reef Conservation ...................7

Unity, Strength & Synergy .........9 WAZA Interview:

Dennis Ethier ............................ 12 Impact

of Superstorm Sandy ................ 14 My Career: David Kimmel ......... 17 Whale Sharks ............................19 Book Reviews ........................... 22 Announcements ....................... 23 Tarpons, Ladyfishes

& Bonefishes .............................24 Highlights

of CITES CoP 16 ........................ 25 CITES in Action: UWEC ............. 27 Update:

International Studbooks .......... 27 WAZA projects

Sumatra Tiger Trust ..................28 Bristol Community Plant Collection ........................29 Humboldt Penguins .................. 30 Lesser White-fronted Goose ..... 31

New Member Applications ....... 34

WAZA news 2/13

© WAZA

Gerald Dick and whale shark at aqua planet, Jeju.

The President’s PageJörg Junhold

Although we experience a hard and longlasting winter in Germany and other parts of Europe I like to wish all our members in the Northern hemi-sphere a successful and thrilling start into the new season!

The first months of the new year were already filled with meetings and conferences.

In February Dr. Gerald Dick and I used the chance to meet the new elected IUCN President, Mr Zhang Xinsheng from China during his visit at the IUCN Headquarters in Gland. He is coming from an NGO background and has a broad network of contacts for his work. During the intensive dis-cussions with him we tried to find out how to better integrate WAZA’s work and goals into the international con-servation community. Another topic was how WAZA can convince more Chinese zoos to raise their standards and to become members. I hope that I may have the chance to visit China this year to support this issue. The meeting with Mr. Xinsheng took place in a very open and friendly atmos-phere and we are looking forward to a fruitful future cooperation with him.

The 16th CITES Conference of the Par-ties took place in Bangkok in March and WAZA was well represented by Dr Gerald Dick, Kris Vehrs from AZA and myself. In general the conference saw some important developments to add threatened species to the list of protected species, for example five shark species and manta rays. Concerning the requirements that zoos have to follow during animal transports the „CITES Guidelines for the Non-Air Transport of Live Wild Animals and Plants” were adopted after four years of preparation. Al-though, zoos as institutions are every day touched by CITES regulations they will only play a small role in the overall bureaucratic system behind that. But we still need to lobby for the improvement of regulations for our animal exchanges. It is sometimes hard to understand that one player for conservation is impacting a sec-ond one in this way and this is why we need to speak up strongly for our needs. For sure, we should not step back but even increase our WAZA presence at CITES Conferences – it is worth the effort!

Next to the new Global Strategy for Animal Welfare that we start to de-velop this year we also want to have a deeper look into the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy (WZACS). Ten years after the last re-vision we will have a workshop held at Houston Zoo, Texas in May to define the potential for an update. Of course during the last decade new issues came up which are not yet included in the WZACS. Here, I am thinking about global challenges, such as cli-mate change which will influence our work and further the sustainability of our animal populations.

One of my next travels will bring me to the 24th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the African Asso-ciation of Zoos and Aquaria (PAAZ-AB) kindly hosted by the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. I am glad to visit our African colleagues again and meet the new Executive Director of PAAZAB, Dr Stephen van der Spuy. As mentioned before my own Zoo Leipzig has long lasting relations to Addis Ababa Lion Zoo in Ethiopia and this is why I am personally interested in seeing and discussing the progress that is hap-pening on the African continent. Dr van der Spuy is especially pushing the critical role that PAAZAB plays in guiding and assisting member zoos to improve animal care standards as well as guiding them to embrace the WZACS strategy. I strongly like to support this issue as it is so crucial for our public appearance and I believe that the upcoming conference will be a step towards reaching this goal. ut are no professionals in this field.

WAZA news 2/13 1

© WAZAJörg Junhold at clouded leopard breeding center, Kao Keow Zoo, Thailand.

WAZA Biodiversity Decade Project

Tiago Pinto-Pereira – WAZA Executive Office

During its 66th Annual conference WAZA members unanimously endorsed the UN Decade on Biodiver-sity and supported both the Aichi Bio-diversity targets and a WAZA global project supporting both the Decade and the Aichi targets. Besides the species conservation target 12, the Aichi target most relevant to the work of WAZA and its members is target 1 which states: “By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of bio-diversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.” After a workshop, convened together with CBSG and a survey amongst IZE members, the project was finally designed and subsequently external funding secured.

WAZA, in support of its members, with their experience in awareness raising and interaction with the public, are well positioned to help educate and involve the public about the need to protect biodiversity during the Decade on Biodiversity. The target is to finally reach out to as many of our 700 million zoo/aquarium visitors worldwide as possible. The numerous conservation projects of the WAZA community are convincing argu-ments and the animals displayed in the WAZA members’ facilities are great ambassadors to increase public awareness and trigger action.

Therefore, together with a selection of more than 30 zoos and aquariums in six different regions of the world the project was further developed. These project team members were selected to represent the WAZA membership in all its diversity to ensure the output of the project meets the needs and is adapted to the requirements of the WAZA membership in its entirety. A modu-lar set of awareness raising tools are being developed as a recognisable framework, but adaptable to regional, cultural and individual institutional situations. These tools will then be made available to the whole WAZA membership.

These tools are part of a consistent and logical ensemble and will include films of different lengths, a mobile phone / tablet application, a social media campaign and visuals. The cen-tral objective of the project is to make sure the public understands biodi-

versity and its threats by conveying stimulating and positive messages about the importance of individual contributions towards biodiversity conservation, and how to act on an everyday basis to contribute to biodi-versity conservation through a reduc-tion in individual footprint. The aim is to contribute significantly to Aichi target 1.

Currently the project is advancing nicely and on schedule. Indeed the visuals, in their English format, have been approved by the members of the project team as well as the ac-companying text and basic formats to be adapted to local requirements and specificities. In addition the script for the longest of the videos was also approved with certain comments provided which have been incorpo-rated. The director for the movie will be scoping the sites for the filming and present the result of his research before we give the go ahead to film.

2 WAZA news 2/13

Example of a Visual element of the

© WAZA

Decade on Biodiversity Project.

Aquaria, The Blue Glass Landscape

Pio de Rose, photographer – Genoa, Italy

To find out more: www.pioderose.com

Furthermore, we have also ad-vanced on a number of different tools which will be shared with project team members in due course. Namely, we have started work on the social media strategy and the basic design for the mo-bile phone / tablet application (for both iPhones and Android operat-ing systems).

In parallel, in collaboration with Chester Zoo and The University of Warwick, WAZA is coordinating a survey of biodiversity literacy. This will be the first large scale global evaluation the role of zoos and aquariums as education centres relating to biodiversity. This is being carried out through pre and post visit surveys before (2012/2013) and after (2014/2015) the implementation of the tools.

We will be updating the whole WAZA membership on the evolu-tion of the Project in every edition of the WAZA News. Look out for our updates!

For any further questions, please contact Tiago Pinto-Pereira the WAZA Decade Project Manager (tiago.pintopereira@waza.org).

The act of looking has always char-acterized the relationship between people and animals. However, recent studies have focused on the unique-ness of the environment where this mutual act of looking takes place and how they enhance evocative re-sponses. I visited some of the world’s biggest aquariums to photograph the traces of their surreal settings. Suddenly, a whole new intuition began to dominate the feeling I had about these places. They were not perceived as distinct aquariums any longer. Instead, they all turned into entrances to a sort of world-within-the-world, a parallel universe now becoming accessible through these several different gates: Aquaria, The

Blue Glass Landscape. In this extraor-dinary dimension our senses adapt to the lack of recognisable space and time coordinates, so that our only means of interaction and perception become the observing while being absorbed by the blue surreal environ-ments accommodating our presence. Likewise, such a shifted perception generates isolated and transparent memories devoid of and in contrast with the chaos and paraphernalia characterising aquariums as tourist attractions, in an attempt to retain the contemplative and emotional essence of the visit, which is turned into fragmented visions of a lucid dream.

…they all turned into entrances to a sort of world-within-the-world, a parallel universe…

3WAZA news 2/13

Oceanogràfic, Valencia, Spain

© Pio de Rose

Judy Mann – uShaka Seaworld

International Aquarium Congress

Adv

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Fauna is currently undergoing testing and was showcased at the WAZA 2012 conference in Melbourne.

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During September 2012, the Inter-national Aquarium Congress (IAC) was held in Cape Town. This was the first IAC to be hosted in South Africa and it was attended by more than 300 professionals in the field from around the world. From ideas for improved visitor interpretation, to thoughts on how to generate more revenue, suggestions on sustain-ability in aquariums to challenges facing collections – the 8th Interna-tional Aquarium Congress covered a wide range of topics pertinent to aquariums throughout the world. As this was the first IAC hosted in Africa it was interesting to note the range of countries represented – amongst other countries were China and Japan, Australia, Eastern and Western Eu-rope, United Kingdom and the USA, as well as a good number of South African delegates. Probably the most striking aspect of the congress was the open sharing which took place. The discussions were lively and sometimes heated, but always held in an inclusive manner that encouraged participation.

A few interesting issues emerged – aquariums are a thriving business, new aquariums are opening each year, old aquariums are being bought out by commercial enterprises and are being renovated and this trend appears to show no sign of slowing down. Aquariums are, however, start-ing to think more carefully about their exhibits and are definitely looking at better exhibits rather than bigger exhibits. Sustainability, the theme of the conference, is another emerging trend in aquariums, although given the inherent environmental footprint of an aquarium; aquariums still have a long way to go before they can be considered to be carbon neutral. Aquarium professionals are thinking about their collection sustainability

now more than ever in the past – it is obvious that ‘free from the sea’ is an outdated concept and that aquari-ums will need to look increasingly at improved animal care, captive breeding and more sustainable col-lection methods. Helping visitors to care for our oceans emerged as the primary reason for the existence of many aquariums and this issue was highlighted throughout the con-gress. How to improve our ability to inspire people to care for the oceans, through better visitor research, requires a great deal more attention, as this aspect of our work is almost as important as our ability to care for our animals.

Having attended two previous Inter-national Aquarium Congresses, this one impressed me with the depth of issues tackled. The aquarium industry is grappling with water quality issues and animal husbandry challenges, exhibit designs and problems with legislation; however, it is also looking at sustainability and relevance, better internal governance and improved education and visitor inspiration. The bottom line will always remain critical – but the aquarium industry is looking beyond money and is tacking the challenges facing our planet with enthusiasm and commitment.

Overall the conference was a great success – not only was it a fantastic opportunity to showcase African aquariums to the world, it was also a great opportunity for South African delegates to meet the role players in the international aquarium world. Our thanks go to the Two Oceans Aquarium, for their excellent hosting of the event. See you all in Vancouver in 2016!!!

4 WAZA news 2/13

Yoshitaka Abe – Aquamarine Fukushima

»Brief Review of Japanese Aquariums

It is great honor for me as a member of WAZA, to have such an opportuni-ty to be able to take up topics of Japa-nese aquariums. First of all, I have to express my sincere appreciation to WAZA colleagues for their concern about the disasters caused by the big earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011, and following explosion of the atomic power plant. Aquarium Fuku-shima is still under repair, and we are trying to create a better aquarium than before.

Aquamarine Fukushima (here after AMF) opened to public in 2000, is the four story “Greenhouse Aquarium”, located at the 2nd warf of Ona-hama port, Iwaki City, Fukushima prefecture and is managed by the Fukushima prefectural government. We are aiming to expand from the greenhouse building to the outdoor space and establish a large tidal pool of 4600 m2. This is on the way toward the “Green Aquarium“, the aquarium of the next generation.

The Japanese Archipelago consists of 6 852 islands and reaches from the subarctic zone to the subtropical zone. It has a long beautiful shoreline of 33,889 km, surrounded by good fishing waters. Japan is traditionally an ocean-oriented nation, and de-veloped fishing grounds around the planet. Whaling is one of the activi-ties reflecting the seafood culture.

The first aquarium in Japan opened to public was the small aquarium room named as “Uonozoki, Peep-ing Fish Windows”, developed at the Ueno Zoological Gardens when they opened in 1882 as the first zoo in Japan.

In the 1900’s, small aquaria with open-circulation systems were annexed to the laboratory of the Na-tional University’s Faculty of Marine Biology and Fisheries on the scenic coast of Japan. These became the foothold of the local aquarium com-munity, which prospered after the war in 1945.

JAZA, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, at present is representative of 88 zoos and 67 aquariums, in total 155 members.

Of the 67 aquariums, roughly half are managed by private companies, and the remainder being prefectural or municipal, or run by a non-profit organization. 38 aquariums are keep-ing 274 bottlenose dolphins (as of 2011) and other species of whales for popular performances. The aquari-ums are an important tourist attrac-tion in Japan.

The annual attendance for 88 zoos is 38 million, and for 67 aquariums is 29 million, totaling 67 million visitors in 2010.

5WAZA news 2/13

Prism tunnel separates Kuroshio warm current tank of 1500 tons and

© AMF

Oyashio cold current tank of 500 tons.

The high prevalence of aquariums in private homes in this small country is a reflection of how Japanese people enjoy the natural environment and also enjoy seafood.

Japanese aquariums are institu-tions with the power to attract and influence people, and should not be confined to merely providing amuse-ment. It is desirable to function more as an institution for environmental education, and for in-situ and ex-situ conservation activities relating to endangered animals.

All aquariums should send more com-mon messages to the audiences, not emotional but scientifically correct, on the sustainability of the oceans. For example, the Seafood Watch campaign developed by the Monte-rey Bay Aquarium, sister aquarium of AMF, and the Ocean Wise mes-sage developed by the Vancouver Aquarium will be very effective activities to link fisheries and con-sumers. AMF has just started to send a sustainability message through the aquarium restaurant under the title of

“Happy Oceans network”, promoting a sustainable sushi culture. If these activities complement each other in the regional aquarium community, it could be developed toward a global campaign for sustainable oceans. Such activities by aquariums will also contribute to raising the social status of aquariums.

…All aquariums should send more common messages to the audiences, not emotional but scientifically correct, on the sustainability of the oceans…

6 WAZA news 2/13

Successful keeping of 3 juvenile Sail fish Istiophorus platypterus of 40 cm, during Sept.14

AMF succeeded in keeping deep sea fish, Green eye,

Coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis filmed at Buol, Sulawesi Island,

© AMF

© AMF

© AMF

through Nov. 27, one of them grew up to 1 m.

Chrolophthamus albatorosis.

Indonesia on 4 July 2006.

»

Since more than 10 years, zoos and public aquaria work together with scientists in the SECORE network to help saving the coral reef – one of the most diverse and yet most fragile ecosystem on Earth. After setting up a pilot restoration research project in Curacao, SECORE is now expanding its efforts towards other regions of the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, SECORE (SExual COral RE-production) was initiated through the innovative coral breeding research of Dr. Dirk Petersen at the Rotterdam Zoo. Two years later, Mike Brittsan of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium joined to establish and to coordinate SECORE in the USA. In 2012, SECORE has become a non-profit foundation located in Germany. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium represents the SECORE Foundation in the USA. The goal of the foundation is to launch and support coral conservation initia-tives in close collaboration with local stakeholders at different locations around the world. Key components are conservation-related research, education of local and international stakeholders, public outreach with a national and international focus, socio-economical aspects, and active reef restoration. Zoos and aquariums play an important role to contribute with their knowledge in coral breed-ing and husbandry, to establish ex situ populations of endangered corals and to spread the conservation mes-sage to their visitors.

Dirk Petersen – SECORE Foundation & Mike Brittsan – Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Zoos and Aquaria Expand Their Efforts for Coral Reef Conservation Through the SECORE Foundation

Pilot coral conservation project in Curacao

In 2010, SECORE launched a resto-ration research project in Curacao addressing endangered reefbuilding coral species such as the Elkhorn coral Acropora palmata. Within the past decades, the Elkhorn coral has undergone a rapid decline resulting in a population loss of more than 90% throughout the Caribbean. Although some populations still spawn regu-larly, no significant recruitment of ju-veniles has been observed since many years. SECORE and partners work on developing effective methods to apply sexual reproduction in the res-toration of critical coral species. The project is carried out in partnership with the CARMABI Foundation (Cu-racao), the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and the Curacao Sea Aquarium, as well as with internation-al zoo and aquarium partners such as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Land based aquarium facilities have been built in the center

of the Curacao Sea Aquarium which are used to culture coral larvae and settle them on specifically designed substrate tiles. The juveniles are then outplanted to local reefs to support natural recruitment. Within the past three years we have developed the basic techniques and successfully introduced the first sexual recruits into the reef. The next step will be to establish a protocol for an application on a larger scale.

Besides the restoration research, SECORE uses project Curacao to raise public awareness of the local com-munity and to train zoo and aquarium affiliates, and scientists in coral breeding and restoration techniques during annual field workshops. Since this workshop program has been started at the Rotterdam Zoo in 2005, affiliates of 47 institutions have been trained in 12 laboratory and field workshops (Rotterdam, Puerto Rico, Curacao, Omaha, Singapore).

»

7WAZA news 2/13

Freshly outplanted Elkhorn coral using

© Paul A. Selvaggio

epoxy cement.

Expanding towards more geographic regions

From 2013, following the positive example of Curacao, SECORE will ex-pand its program with three addition-al project locations. In the Philippines, SECORE starts a restoration research project in collaboration with Dr. Ron-ald Villanueva (Bolinao Marine Sci-ence Institute of the University of the Philippines), Dr. James Guest (Uni-versity of New South Wales, Australia / Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), and Prof. Dr. Udo Pe-tersen (University of Applied Sciences Kempten, Germany). Bart Shepherd of the Steinhart Aquarium (California Academy of Sciences) is involved in the coral conservation program which includes workshops, outreach, and socio-economic aspects involv-ing the livelihood of local people and coral conservation.

We will start project Guam with a training field workshop in July 2013. In collaboration with Dr. Lau-rie Raymundo (Marine Laboratory of the University of Guam), Mike McCue (Underwater World Guam), Dave Burdick (Guam Coastal Man-agement Program, Government of Guam), Mitch Carl (Henry Doorly Zoo, USA), the SECORE Foundation will

start a multi-year project to establish restoration techniques for locally threatened species. Once SECORE has established the techniques for large scale restoration in Curacao and the Philippines, we plan to integrate these new methods in existing pro-grams in Guam and Mexico.

As kick-off for project Mexico, SECORE will host a workshop this year especially to address science and nature management organiza-tions in Yucatan. The project team of this 3–5 year project involves local partners such as Dr. Anastazia Banaszak (Universidad Nacional Au-tónoma de México, UNAM), Rodolfo Raigoza (Xcaret Aquarium, Mexico), Oscar Álvarez Gil (Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, CONANP) and Bob Snowden (Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium) taking the lead for the U. S. aquaria. Again, the goal is to promote local science in coral conservation, to start an outreach program, to address socio-economic aspects and to further expand local restoration efforts through the expertise of the SECORE network.

Supporting SECORE’s conservation program

Our pilot project in Curacao has been financially supported since its begin-ning in 2010 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Green Foundation, and the Clyde and Connie Woodburn Foundation, the Conservation Fund of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and by one-time support through the Montei Foundation, the Seaworld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the Conservation Fund of the Europe-an Union of Aquarium Curators, AZA’s Conservation Fund, Disney’s World Wildlife Conservation Fund and oth-ers. The Manfred Hermsen Founda-tion, the Henry Doorly Zoo, and the Steinhart Aquarium have provided financial support for the workshop in Guam, as well as the Kootje Founda-tion (Netherlands) is supporting pro-ject Philippines. In 2012, the Walton Family Foundation has started to provide initial financial support for multiple project locations, such as Curacao, the Philippines and Guam. Some of the zoos and aquaria which have been initially participating in the workshop program have grown to im-portant organizational supporters to

8 WAZA news 2/13

»

Workshop participants initiate ex situ fertilization at shore. Mike Brittsan pointing at 1,5 years old Elkhorn coral.

© Paul A. Selvaggio © Dirk Petersen

Marilee Menard1 & Jeff Jouett2

Unity, Strength and Synergy:

To find out more: www.secore.org

which belong the Shedd Aquarium, the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Pitts-burgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, and the Georgia Aquarium. SECORE needs the support of the interna-tional zoo and aquarium commu-nity to continue working together towards our common goal, coral reef conservation.

1 Retiring Executive Director of the international

Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums

2 CEO Dolphin Quest, Alliance Communications Committee Cochair

“Battered by years of demonstrations, picketing, and lawsuits by animal rights advocates, several of the na-tion’s leading aquariums have vowed to fight back.” So began an article in the New York Times that included a quote by an aquarium official –

“We are fed up, and we’re not going to take their lies anymore. It is clear their real objective is to close all aquariums.”

That was 1991. In 1992, the Alli-ance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums was formally incorporated as an organization that would unify the marine mammal care community and provide a public voice on issues of concern. Today, the Alliance is a growing international association of 64 accredited marine parks, aquari-ums, zoos, research facilities, and professional organizations, almost half of which are located outside the United States.

Charting a Path Forward for the

Global Marine Mammal Care Community

In the 1980s and early 1990s, animal rights groups began turning their attention to whales and dolphins. Newly established organizations included the Zoo Check Campaign (1984), which ultimately became the umbrella group, Born Free Founda-tion, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (1987). After 30 years in operation, a Humane So-ciety of the United States official told the media in 1986 that the group was

“definitely shifting in the direction of animal rights faster than anyone would realize from our literature.” Humane Society International was created in 1991.

Yet, today, marine mammal facilities are increasing in numbers and in pop-ularity worldwide. Attendance is up, and the public stands strongly behind the missions of zoological parks and aquariums. The 2012 Alliance Harris Interactive® poll confirms the Ameri-can public’s extraordinary support for zoological parks and aquariums and its belief that the facilities are educational and inspire conservation action that can help marine mammals and their ocean environments. The poll also shows that 97% of young people ages 18 to 24 are interested in swimming with dolphins in a safe, permitted environment.

9

Endangered Staghorn Coral Spawning

© Barry Brown

Photo Shoot, Curacao.

»

The Challenges Today

After decades, animal rights group strategies remain largely the same – lobbying, law suits, media coverage, and pressure tactics. However, social media (blogs, Facebook, and online petitions) have given a louder voice to their vocal, minority positions. A petition on Change.org, for instance, can result in thousands of signatures drawn from animal rights activists worldwide, and intensify pressure on local governments and legislators.

Lobbying is centuries old. Today, with the rise of green parties and an increased focus on the environment, more doors are open to these groups.

For centuries, there have been laws against animal cruelty. However, legal systems have traditionally regarded animals as property, not as beings with distinct individual rights. This view is changing, augmented by an extraordinary rate of growth in the field of animal law. Most law schools worldwide have at least one animal law course and many are expanding their programs. In the United States, it is anticipated that the Nonhuman Rights Project will file two law suits this year seeking “personhood” for selected species such as whales, dolphins, elephants, and great apes. If successful, animals, like people, would have the right to sue on their own behalf.

Pressure tactics on tour operators, cruise lines, and tour agents are resulting in attempts to develop

“guidelines” for parks and aquariums and institute “inspections” of facili-ties – replete with misinformation and characterizations supplied by critics.

Scientists at a conference last year declared that humans are not the only conscious beings and issued the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins, stating that ce-taceans have the right to life, liberty, and well being. One animal rights publication called this the most over-looked victory for animals of 2012.

Participants in a 2012 symposium, “Future of Zoos,” imagined zoos 50 to 100 years from now. They concluded that large animals, including whales and dolphins, might no longer be found in these facilities.

A 2012 newspaper article on the future of zoos pointed out that zoos are giving greater attention to animal care and display of their animals in response to advances in science and to satisfy an increasingly sophisticated public. Are we seeing a culture shift in public attitudes towards animals? We are.

The Alliance Strategy

Since its founding, the Alliance and its members have taken a proactive approach. Communications experts craft position papers on emerg-ing issues. Members seek positive media coverage that highlights the extraordinary lengths to which they go to help stranded marine mammals, support research, and care for their animals. National polls are funded that confirm public support. Govern-ment decision makers are briefed on the positive missions and accom-plishments of zoological parks and aquariums. The Alliance established an office in Brussels to better monitor international groups, such as CITES, whose decisions affect its members.

…Yet, today, marine mammal facilities are increasing in numbers and in popularity worldwide. Attendance is up, and the public stands strongly behind the missions of zoological parks and aquariums.…

10 WAZA news 2/13

Joyful moments for young cancer patients

© SeaWorld San Diego

at SeaWorld San Diego.

»

To find out more: www.ammpa.org

Alliance members support research that benefits animals in parks and in the wild and provides science-based information to address issues of ma-rine mammals in human care. Data is shared and compiled to emphasize the success of Alliance members’ breeding programs and to document the notable life spans of members’ animals. Educators cooperate in the development of fact sheets to ensure every Alliance member is providing correct, consistent information to our publics. The Alliance’s detailed standards and guidelines are revised annually to reflect new science and professional expertise to ensure best practices in animal health and well-being, education, conservation, and scientific research.

The public that so adores dolphins and whales and thinks they are so intel-ligent wants to know just how much marine mammal professionals really love the animals, recognize they are smart, provide them extraordinary care, and understand their individual emotional and physical needs. Alli-ance materials include vocabulary to

demonstrate that marine mammals in the care of humans are loved, treated with the utmost respect and dignity, and provided state-of-the art care based on current science.

Recently, the Alliance crafted a draft international Code of Best Practices for Dolphin Facilities that emphasizes the quality animal care accredited parks and aquariums provide their animals. The Alliance has invited like organizations to join in sponsoring the Code. For those facilities that are not formally accredited, the Code is designed as a benchmark to help the tourism industry evaluate non-accredited facilities and motivate quality care of dolphins worldwide.

The Alliance and its members are not alone in communicating positive information to the public or tackling tough issues. Other marine mammal groups are hosting important confer-ences on animal welfare, looking at animal law, and grappling with the future of marine mammal display.

One Global Voice

Dolphins, whales, and other marine mammals are charismatic and power-ful connections to our ocean envi-ronments that can foster awareness, education and caring, and inspire stewardship. They are also a favorite of animal rights activists, who make priority targets of zoos, aquariums, and marine parks that care for them. We need to recognize that now, more than ever, the marine mammal community is global – that govern-ment actions and restrictions in one country set precedents worldwide, as do the impacts of our critics’ cam-paigns.

It is time to assemble the leadership of all national and international ma-rine mammal organizations and use this forum for invigorating, strategic thinking and plans for action and advocacy. The global marine mam-mal community is composed of smart, dedicated, caring professionals who see every day the impact of their public messages and the benefits to animals in the wild. Together, we can create a unified, strong, and syner-gistic path forward that will under-score the essential role of zoological parks and aquariums in educating the public about the hardships these animals face today in the wild and our facilities’ important role in motivating the public to speak out for protection and conservation of these amazing creatures and their environments.

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Oceans of Fun promotes recycling.

© Oceans of Fun

Dennis EthierThe Man Behind the Scenes and at the Heart of the Aquarium

Dennis (Director, Plant Engineering at New York Aquarium) began his career in the Zoo and Aquarium field in March of 1994 in the Exhibits Department of the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in Rhode Island and a graduate of New England Institute of Technology, Dennis worked through the ranks at RWPZ and was appointed Exhibits Department Manager in 1999. Dennis left the Zoo in March of 2001 for the position of Exhibits and Graphic Arts Department Manager for the Wildlife Conservations Societies, New York Aquarium. Den-nis was promoted to his current position in July of 2003 and manages a department of 10 maintenance staff respon-sible for care and maintenance of HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing and LSS systems throughout the 14 acre aquarium campus. The Aquarium features marine mammals such as Walrus, Sea Lions, Otters and Harbor Seals and over 350 different species of fish. Current water volume at the aquarium is 1.8 million gallons which is supplied directly from New York Harbor through a seawater filtration plant located under the famous Coney Island Boardwalk.

WAZA: When did you become the Director, Plant Engineering at New York Aquarium and what was your carreer path so far? Dennis: I became the Director of the Plant Engineer-ing Department in July of 2003; after I finished my tour of duty with the US Army in 1992, I went back to the restaurant industry but exchanged my career for my hobby in 1993 when I began working for a residential con-tractor. I enrolled in the New England Institute for Technology and had intended to start my own construc-tion business when I was hired for a part-time position with the Roger Williams Park Zoo. The position was advertised as a 30 day temporary position and the plan was to work the spring at the zoo, graduate and then start the business. The temporary position was expanded on two sepa-rate occasions and I was hooked on the mission of Zoos and Aquariums across the country long before I was offered a full time role with the Zoo in the fall of 1994.

Could you describe the Plant Engi-neering department at New York Aquarium (how many employees are you looking after etc…) and its role? The Plant Engineering Depart-ment at the New York Aquarium consists of me, a Facilities Manager, a Warehouse Supervisor, a part time Administrative Assistant, a part time Warehouse Clerk and 10 full time maintenance workers. The Plant Engineering Department at the New York Aquarium is responsible for the care and maintenance of all Mechani-cal, Electrical and Plumbing equip-ment throughout the 14 acre campus as well as the care and maintenance of all animal life support systems equipment and infrastructure.

What is your everyday work as the Director of Plant Engineering? The simple answer to this question is

“everything”; a typical day begins between 7–8 and starts with review-ing and issuing work orders to the maintenance staff (staff begin work at 8), a set of rounds to check on all aquarium life support systems, a set of rounds with all contractors working on the site, usually at least one meeting, additional check-ins with contractors, reviewing project schedules and submittals as well as handling a multitude of issues that arise on any given day. My typical day ends somewhere between 17 and 18 but there are sometimes issues that need to be resolved arising anytime during a 24 hour period.

It’s difficult to imagine what’s hap-pening “behind the scene” of an Aquarium such as yours, from mak-ing sure the animals are healthy to inspecting the tanks and introducing new animals into the exhibits etc… What are the principal challenges for an aquarium (presentation for visitors versus the technical part of the life support systems)? I think the biggest challenges on both these fronts is with the varying age of the facility; the Aquarium was founded in 1896 and moved to its current location on Coney Island in 1957; exhibit and administrative buildings were built anywhere from 1957 to 2010. Prior to the construction of the Seawa-ter Intake Plant, salt water for the aquariums was made in the basement of the original 1957 building; not in tanks either, half of the basement was reinforced and used as a salt water cistern. We still have many old

exhibits which present challenges for visitor presentation and many old buildings that present challenges for the life support system/building maintenance aspects.

How many people does it take to run the New York Aquarium? What are the main challenges for your team on a normal day? If I’m not mistaken, the staff at the Aquarium total between 80–85 people spread out among 7 different departments; we tend to hire an additional 20–30 people as seasonal help during our peak season that runs from mid-April through September. I think our main challenges originate from our aging infrastructure but I also feel that our location can be challenging as well. Coney Island is a great location and is beginning to experience a tremen-dous resurgence, even in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but it is also primar-ily an amusement district which is largely dormant in the winter months. With the Aquarium being in the same location, we are often perceived as being seasonally closed because pub-lic perception is “Coney Island closes for the winter”.

Some aquariums organise “behind-the scenes” tours for the public. Is the New York Aquarium organising this kind of events? Do you think this is a good way to educate the public? The Aquarium does offer behind the scenes tours and although I am not an education expert, my opinion is that the more personal interaction experienced by such a tour lends itself tremendously to advancing the con-servation mission of the Aquarium.

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WAZA Interview

What is your favorite part in your job? I live in what is arguably the greatest city in the world yet I get to go to the beach to work every day but outside of location would be the people and organization I am fortunate enough to represent. I became dedicated to Zoos and Aquariums in 1994 at RWPZ and I think a lot of that had to do with not only the mission of these conservation organizations, but the passion of the staff members at each institution. It feels good to go home every day feeling that you are part of an organization that is making a difference in the world with its daily activities. I have felt privileged to be a part of this industry from early on when RWPZ partnered with the Has-bro Children’s Hospital in Providence RI to build a small rainforest exhibit in the hospital, through my current tenure with the Wildlife Conserva-tion Society that began in 2001. Who wouldn’t be proud to call one of the major players in spearheading global conservation efforts around the globe their home; the only comparison I have to this is how it must have felt like to play for the Boston Celtics back in the 60’s when the team won 8 consecutive NBA championships.

New York Aquarium had to face the “Hurricane Sandy disaster” in Novem-ber 2012: the aquarium was overtak-en by surge waters during the storm, creating significant and long-lasting damage throughout. What were the immediate actions taken to face this emergency situation? Beginning the day prior to the storm we sand-bagged areas that we could without impeding guest movements, serviced our generators and storm doors, started water pumps to make sure they were operational and moved equipment from the lower levels to upper levels. As the storm predictions continued to change throughout

the day of the storm, we adjusted our plans by relocating additional equipment to high ground, moving computer equipment from floors to desks and sand bagged additional areas. I had a conversation with our Curator of Animal Health regarding her experiences in December of 1990 when the Aquarium last flooded to try and gauge what our potential impact might be. Since the flood in 1990, the Army Corp of Engineers restored the beaches on Coney Island and raised them over 10 feet so we were all un-certain of exactly what type of surge we could withstand. Once we started flooding buildings, it was more of a mad scramble to attempt shutting down equipment in the hopes of be-ing able to salvage it after the waters receded; we began taking water in buildings at about 7pm and gave up the battle around midnight when the flood waters rose above the storm doors and generator intake louvers for our Sea Cliffs building.

The aquarium should be reopened during late spring this year. How was this possible and what was your role during this “recovery” phase? I think the first part of this question is simply answered by the stating the extreme dedication and professionalism of the staff, not only at the Aquarium but WCS as a whole. Our Director, Jon

Dohlin, was able to make early con-tact with WCS senior management, prior to the phones going out within a few hours of when the water start-ed receding, and quickly get the ball rolling on the necessary relief effort for the Aquarium. My role was little more than what my role is on a daily basis with a few exceptions: I did 95% of my work without sitting behind the desk, there was more work handling the multitude of issues than there was in dealing with contractors or sit-ting in meetings, the work day began between 6–7 and ended around 22 and the calls in the middle of the night were not that big a deal given I slept at the Aquarium for the first 5 nights after the storm. There was a whole lot of creative thinking going on to get ourselves around certain roadblocks that we came across. I’ve had staff approach me and thank me for saving the Aquarium and they all get the same response that it was not me; no one man or woman could have pulled this off without a signifi-cant support effort from the top to the bottom of the organization, what we accomplished over the first 7 days after the storm was a complete team effort and anything less than a team effort would have translated into failure. That team effort continues through to this very day.

What are, according to you, the main qualities to be a Director of Plant Engineering in an aquarium? I think the first quality would be the ability to handle about 27.265 tasks at one time but the most important quality would be understanding that handling a little over 27 tasks simultaneously will never be enough so just get over it and keep moving forward. I think ded-ication to the job, belief in the mission along with belief in your colleagues and staff helps you achieve your goals and objectives. Another important quality would be in diversity; I am not an expert in any given subject matter but I feel I have enough knowledge on many subjects to “keep me out of trouble”, or at least make some intel-ligent suggestions.

Dennis’s 3 wishes for the Zoo GenieThe Zoo Genie is ready to answer 3 wishes. Talk to him…

1. Let’s make 2013 last about ten years; I have a little boy that will turn four in July and time is going by way too fast, all my efforts to slow it down to this point have failed.2. A planet (preferably this one) where the energy all the countries spend fighting each other is trans-ferred to energy spent on preserv-ing the planet. Perhaps then we achieve the ultimate goal of a sus-tainable planet that is no longer polluted and wildlife is approaching over-population at the same rate it is currently approaching extinction.3. I’ll let the Zoo Genie have this one as long as the first two are granted…

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© Julie Larsen Maher

WAZA Interview

Jon Forrest Dohlin1 & James J. Breheny2

Impact of Superstorm Sandy on the New York Aquarium

1 Wildlife Conservation Society Vice President and Director New York Aquarium

2 Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President and General Director Zoos

and Aquarium General Director Bronx Zoo

New York City has experienced severe weather events in the past. Since its establishment in 1899 the Bronx Zoo – headquarters of the Wildlife Conservation Society – has faced down ice storms, wind storms, snow storms and repeated flooding of the Bronx River. The season of 2011–2012 alone brought an earthquake, tor-nado, microburst wind event, bliz-zards, nor’easters and Hurricane Irene. During the high wind events of 2012 the zoo had suffered the loss of more than 160 trees, many of them large specimen trees that had graced the grounds for decades. The New York Aquarium had seen the eye of Hurricane Irene pass right overhead and several major storm surges in the years since re-locating to Coney Island in 1957. Still, nothing had fully prepared us for Superstorm Sandy.

The days leading up to October 29th had been clear and filled with activity. Across the five WCS facilities in New York – the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and the New York Aquarium – crews worked to prepare for the oncoming storm. In particular, the Bronx Zoo, with its 265 acre campus covered with hardwood forest, and the New York Aquarium, 14 acres right on the Atlantic Ocean in Brooklyn’s famous Coney Island, feverishly prepared for the anticipated hurricane force winds and coastal flooding. Emergency equipment was tested and fueled, food was stockpiled for both animals and staff, vehicles moved away from vulnerable locations, low-lying or

flood prone buildings were sand-bagged, radios were checked and re-checked, generators serviced, storm crew lists drawn up and City agencies notified. Any fixture, equipment or material that could be battened down was gathered and secured. At the Aquarium, extra oxygen canisters were stockpiled and deployed around the facility at every exhibit. Non-essential personnel were sent home, the City closed down, mass-transit came to a halt. Every weather agency and news channel tracking the storm was monitored as it moved up the Eastern Seaboard.

In the hours leading up to the storm, a steady rhythm of communica-tion had developed between WCS headquarters and the Aquarium. As preparations drew to a close and the storm approached, reports on the progress of preparation were replaced by regular reports on the progress of the storm. WCS Zoos and Aquarium Executive Vice President and Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny and WCS Vice President and Direc-tor of the New York Aquarium Jon Forrest Dohlin, along with other WCS senior staff, met via teleconference every 6 hours in the day leading up to Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, and filled in the hours between with texts and email, sharing a particular concern for the vulnerability of the Aquarium as the rest of Coney Island and other low-lying areas of New York City were evacuated.

At 7.50pm on Monday evening, the 29th of October, Hurricane Sandy came ashore in New York as a “super-storm” – an unprecedented combina-tion of size, speed, track, tide and moon phase that unleashed havoc in the coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England. The surge rose to 11’ above mean high tide, inundating the aquarium with 3–4’ of water, de-stroying electrical transformers, fill-ing basements full of LSS and HVAC systems, flooding offices, sweeping over holding tanks and overwhelming flood preparations within minutes. The 18 members of the aquarium’s storm crew were forced to retreat to the command center on the second floor of the health center to wait for surge to subside. Throughout the city communications came to a halt as copper transmission lines were hit by corrosive salt water and cell phone towers were cut off or destroyed in the 60–80 mph windgusts. The last texts between Dohlin and Breheny tell the story:

• Dohlin, 19.55, October 29 2012: “Lost power. Full on flood. Con Hall underwater. Keeping wards at hos-pital sandbagged. Surge came up from zero to full in 5 minutes”

• Breheny, 20.01, October 29 2012: “Hang in there. Keep talking to me as you can.”

• Breheny, 20.16, October 29 2012: “I’m hanging brother… let me know …”

• The silence would last until Tuesday afternoon.

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While the WCS leadership rode out the hurricane force winds and as-sessed damage and began cleaning up the debris and downed trees in the Bronx in the storm’s aftermath, the leadership team at the aquarium met in water up to their waists to report out the full impact of the crisis. The situation was dire in the hours after the storm as the waters began slowly to recede. The surge had over-whelmed and destroyed electrical service in a way that created an over-lapping set of problems: transform-ers responsible for accepting power from the city’s utility grid had been destroyed; the electrical panels and distribution systems that distributed power to life support systems and emergency equipment were located in basements now flooded with 10–15’ of salt water; and the aquar-ium’s suite of emergency genera-tors, designed to supply emergency backup power throughout the facility, were destroyed or rendered useless by the loss of electrical switchgear and distribution. Of the aquarium’s six emergency generators only one, a natural-gas fired generator on the roof of the Aquatic Animal Health Center, was operable in the days fol-lowing the storm. The pumps, filters, UV sterilizers, boilers and chillers that make up the Life Support Systems and ensure the health and safety of the collection were rendered useless without power, but more alarm-ingly, most of these systems were in the same basements and sub-grade utility areas now under salt water. The aquarium’s Sea Water Intake and Discharge Pump Station was similarly flooded and inaccessible, though the freshwater supply from the city remained intact.

The surge had overwhelmed and destroyed some outdoor holding pools where we had been keeping koi (Cyprinus carpio) while working on their exhibit, and we estimated 300–500 fish were lost. In the hours immediately after losing power, the aquarium lost an exhibit of jack crevalle (Caranx hippos) and permit (Trachinotus falcatus) as dissolved oxygen levels in their tank plummet-ed before crews could safely access the exhibit hall. Still, the reports from a quick census of the animals and exhibits in the first hours after the storm were encouraging. As soon as water levels allowed, storm crews, led by General Curator and Director of Animal Operations David DeNardo, began moving through the muddy, dark, debris-laden buildings to deploy oxygen to the tanks and raise DO lev-els, and our initial assessment found no problems with any other animals in the exhibits and holding areas we could access. The penguin and marine mammal collection, including our newly acquired orphaned walrus calf, Mitik, had weathered the storm with-out incident. Some exhibits in our Sea Cliffs viewing area and holding tanks in Conservation Hall remained under flood water and were assumed lost. Our immediate concern for the col-lection was managing water qualities without LSS systems or the ability to make significant water changes, and in addition to monitoring DO levels and pressure we immediately ceased or reduced feedings in order to slow the build-up of nitrates, and began to make salt water wherever we could, using trashcans as mixing chambers, in order to be able to make small but significant water changes to help water qualities.

From an operational standpoint our priorities were clear: pump out the basements, get emergency genera-tors running and bring in additional generating capacity, replace or re-build equipment in order to provide partial filtration to exhibits and run temporary electrical feeds from gen-erators to LSS. Simple in concept but almost impossible under the circum-stances, with much of our supplies and equipment destroyed, no com-munication or access to the outside world, limited fuel availability and much of New York closed or devas-tated. Nonetheless, Director of Park Engineering Dennis Ethier and his crew set to work immediately, hook-ing up gas and diesel trash pumps to begin moving the estimated million gallons of water from the basements of the facility, pulling out whatever replacement filtration pumps could be found in the ruined warehouse and scavenging electrical cable from areas that did not flood. We imme-diately set up around the clock shifts in order to keep equipment fueled and oxygen cylinders monitored, and crews led by Director of Park Services Rodney Rollins began the cleanup by clearing safe pathways to allow keep-ers and maintainers access to exhibits and equipment.

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Immediate management of

Slowly receding water.© WCS

© WCS

the storm’s impact.

On Tuesday, to the relief of all concerned, we were finally able to restore intermittent contact with the leadership at WCS, updating them on conditions, and developing a list of needed equipment that could be found at the other facilities – and from that moment the resources and expertise of WCS were mobilized unceasingly for the recovery of the New York Aquarium. Large genera-tors, multiple pumps, fuel, electrical equipment, oxygen canisters, aquar-ium salt, manpower and hot food began to arrive throughout the day on Wednesday. Jim Breheny; WCS President and CEO Cristian Samper; WCS Executive VP and CFO Patricia Calabrese; WCS Executive VP of Government Affairs John Calvelli; VP of Communications Mary Dixon and others toured the facility along with Dohlin, DeNardo, Ethier and Rollins to assess conditions and develop plans for the ongoing logistics and communications of the clean-up. Outside contractors with expertise in high voltage electrical work were brought in, orders went out around the country for required equipment and material, and emergency cleanup crews arrived to begin the daunting task of removing water soaked carpet, drywall and debris, dehumidifying buildings and disinfecting all surfaces to avoid the secondary dangers of mold formation. Outside insurance adjusters with experience in Katrina and other disasters were contracted to lead the effort to document and prepare claims for insurance and FEMA. By the end of the first week, WCS VP and Chief Architect Susan Chin and staff were leading teams of engineers through an assessment and documentation of every piece of equipment in every building across the 14 acre campus, beginning an exhaustive and complex process that will continue into the foreseeable future.

As of this writing, the Wildlife Conser-vation Society has spent more than $6M in the effort to stabilize and pro-tect the animals in our care and begin the process of rebuilding. The work with our partners in the city, state and federal governments continues with the rough estimate for rebuild-ing the aquarium currently at $65M, an effort that will take years. We are housed in temporary trailers and makeshift spaces, and the aquarium – the sole year-round attraction on Coney Island’s Boardwalk – has been closed for five months. But, like the sun shining again after a storm, there is reason to be optimistic about our future. Our website appeal for sup-port has generated more than $1M to date, bringing in support and encour-agement from all 50 states and more than 12 countries across the globe. Our role as an economic engine and redevelopment anchor in this hard-hit community has never been so important, and so widely appreciated. Our Education programs continue to attract grants to provide science edu-cation to more than 15,000 students a year from some of our city’s most under-resourced schools. Our $140M capital expansion plan – just days away from breaking ground before Sandy hit – designed to bring new at-tention to shark conservation and the diverse beauty of the waters of New

York, is back on track and redesigned to withstand future high water. WCS conservation expertise in New York and around the world is critical in providing the science to inform and shape the policy and cultural choices facing this city of islands in an era of dynamic climate change. We contin-ue to build on the success of our New York Seascape conservation program in order to provide this voice here at home – on the water, in the halls of government, and right here at the New York Aquarium. Led by Cristian Samper, Jim Breheny, Patti Cala-brese, John Calvelli and our Board of Trustees, WCS’ commitment to bringing back the aquarium had been unwavering.

In early April, WCS announced that a partial re-opening of the New York Aquarium on May 25th 2013, which will reopen half of the aquarium experi-ence. We expect to have the aquar-ium fully open to the public in 2016. This culmination of our non-stop work since Sandy would not be pos-sible without our colleagues, friends and supporters within WCS and in the profession around the world. We are incredibly grateful.

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Water everywhere.

© WCS

David Kimmel at office.

© Georgia Aquarium

David Kimmel

The Captain, The Ship, The Compass…

From an aerial view, Georgia Aquar-ium appears as a ship – an ark even; and that’s no mistake. It’s actually by design, a design of which David Kim-mel helped bring to life as the then Vice President of Program Manage-ment for the program management firm charged with directing the development the facility. Now, as the current President and Chief Operat-ing Officer of one of the world’s larg-est aquariums, Kimmel is at the ship’s helm – the captain, so to speak… and in his hand – is a compass.

The Captain

In 2010, when Georgia Aquarium’s founder and Chief Executive Officer Bernie Marcus placed a call to Kim-mel asking him to assume the presi-dency of the organization, he may not have known that he was making Kimmel’s dream come true. At age 55, Kimmel, an executive who had spent the first 34 years of his career in de-sign and construction management, had intentions to leave the industry and make a complete career change. How, exactly, he didn’t quite know. He thought he might take a part-time job at The Home Depot, imagining himself a perfect associate for cus-tomers’ home improvement projects. Bernie Marcus, also the co-founder of The Home Depot, had a better idea.

With a relationship that had begun four years before Georgia Aquarium’s 2005 opening, Kimmel was already intimately familiar with Georgia Aquarium. Not only had he served as the project manager for the Aquari-um’s initial construction, from 2007 to 2010 Kimmel’s firm also oversaw the Aquarium’s dolphin gallery and theat-er expansion. So, for Kimmel, transi-tioning into the position of president was not as difficult as many may have anticipated – though worlds apart are engineering and the daily operation of a zoological facility.

“The advantage that I had was having a true understanding of what this place is really all about. [I under-stood] the basis upon which the Aquarium was founded and why we did the things that we did here; I was actually a part of that decision-making process,” said Kimmel. “So, I don’t look at myself as coming in from the outside. I look at myself as someone who really was promoted from within.”

Before it all, a young Kimmel set his sights upon a skyscraping goal and never wavered from his aspiration of being an engineer. With Plain-view, Long Island, New York as his hometown, there was no end to the architecture to which he was exposed. Kimmel, however, was most drawn to the bridges linking New York’s boroughs – the Brooklyn Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the George Washington Bridge – all of which were built by engineers who were graduates of Rensselaer Poly-technic Institute (RPI). It was then that he realized the determination that he, too, would be an RPI grad. After achieving that goal by earning a BS in Civil Engineering from RPI, he went on to complete graduate course work in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina.

Spending nearly three and a half decades in engineering and a few notable accomplishments footnoting his resume, Kimmel always thought back to his boyhood idealism.

“I wanted to create; I wanted to build. I wanted to have a bridge named after me,” Kimmel shares.

After accepting the position as president, it dawned on him. With the help of his father’s insight, Kimmel realized he ‘had his bridge.’ Georgia Aquarium.

“It took a while for it to settle in,” Kim-mel said. “It’s very rare that you have the opportunity to create something and then have the ability to lead it once it’s created. Georgia Aquarium is not just a thing; it gets under your skin and becomes a part of you. It’s not that thing that you do from nine-to-five, it’s not a job anymore; it’s a part of your life.”

The Ship

Boasting 604,000 square feet, tens of thousands of fish spanning more than 100 species, and an average of over two million visitors annually, Georgia Aquarium is one of the world’s must-see aquariums. An immediate success since its opening seven years ago, Georgia Aquarium has surpassed ex-pectations. For an organization which excels in entertainment, education, research and conservation, one may wonder what is on Kimmel’s to-do list for the future.

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My Career

“We are far from being done. Georgia Aquarium will never rest on its laurels. Georgia Aquarium is about what we are doing both today and well into the future, both from a facility side and from our program side,” says Kimmel, who recently presented the Aquarium’s board of directors a comprehensive long-range business plan that will guide the organiza-tion through the next ten years and beyond as it assumes its place among the world’s most recognized and admired zoological institutions.

What really stands out in Kimmel’s comprehensive plan is the expan-sion of the organization’s current research and conservation initia-tives which seek to positively impact animal populations globally. Georgia Aquarium is already a leading facility for aquatic animal conservation and research. Not only does its in-house, state-of-the-art Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health support its 4R Program (Rehabilitation, Responsibil-ity, Rescue and Research), Georgia Aquarium also conducts and supports global field research in the specialty fields of wildlife medicine and veteri-nary pathology. Its research partners include such respected institutions as Mote Marine Laboratory, University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Tech-nology, and the non-profit wildlife rehabilitation group, SANCCOB. Their studies range from the surveying of free-ranging African penguins to whale sharks off the northern shores of the Yucatan Peninsula. Now the Aquarium is on the brink of creat-ing its own research institution with a ‘one-world, one-health’ concept.

“We are doing world-class research beyond what we ever initially imag-ined,” Kimmel adds.

In addition to this admirable work, Georgia Aquarium has also become an integral part of its local commu-nity and is exploring the organiza-tion’s important role in philanthropy. In the past, it has facilitated ‘welcome home’ celebrations for families reu-niting with loved ones returning from military service, and regularly hosts a swim program for military veterans who have returned to civilian life after having been injured in the line of duty, in partnership with Atlanta’s Shepherd Center for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. These are things Kim-mel would like to see more of.

“Philanthropy isn’t just about donat-ing money. Philanthropy is some-thing our team and I can do every single day of our lives. Our staff gets a tremendous amount of gratification from serving others,” Kimmel says.

Guests can also look forward to see-ing compelling and entertaining new episodes of Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin from Georgia Aquarium, the organization’s weekly TV series that airs weekly on 220 ABC-TV affiliates across the United States. Warmly received by the viewing public, and among the top-rated new syndicated TV series in its debut season, the educational series documents the travels of Corwin and Aquarium sci-entists as they unlock the mysteries of oceans across the globe. Journeys that explore the unique creatures and fascinating stories of New Zealand, Costa Rica and Alaska are already planned for upcoming episodes.

The Compass

Kimmel isn’t shy about sharing that the Georgia Aquarium ‘crew’ – nearly 600 staff members and more than 2,000 volunteers – are what keep this ship afloat. Yet, without direction and guidance, organizations such as the aquarium often find themselves adrift and without purpose.

Earlier this year, Kimmel and Aquar-ium administrators unveiled a new set of guiding principles to its staff, which they dubbed The Compass. The Compass incorporates the organi-zation’s mission, vision and values. This new framework provides that the qualities of integrity, innovation, leadership, teamwork, respect, excel-lence, and appreciation are what will secure Georgia Aquarium’s standing as an unparalleled facility in the zoos and aquarium community.

“Our original mission statement served us extremely well in our early years. But when that statement was adopted, we never contemplated all the things we’re doing today,” Kimmel said. “So we needed to re-envision and clearly articulate our di-rection now and in the future in a way that is meaningful to the people who are here today.”

Unlike a GPS device, says Kimmel, a compass will help his team chart and maintain a course for the future, but gives them the autonomy to make decisions without providing step-by-step instructions. Georgia Aquarium’s Compass, both moral and pragmatic in nature, points the or-ganization to a horizon where it is no longer start-up endeavor, but a long-term, sustainable organization.

“After spending my first three years here as President really working with the goal of making sure that Georgia Aquarium is on a firm foundation, I have learned something remarka-ble,” Kimmel says. “And that is, there is really nothing we can’t do. We be-lieve in the impossible and achieve the unimaginable.”

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David Kimmel and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina).© Georgia Aquarium

Alistair Dove – Georgia Aquarium

Whale Sharks

When Georgia Aquarium opened its doors to the public in November 2005, whale sharks instantly became a flag-ship species for America’s newest zoological institution. In the ensuing 8 years, a number of extraordinary research opportunities have arisen for aquarium staff, both among the col-lection and in the field. This process has paralleled a veritable explosion of research interest in whale sharks in the academic community, start-ing with the first International Whale Shark Conference in Perth, Australia, in 2005. Despite being the world’s largest fish species, remarkably little was known about its biology before then, certainly relative to cetaceans and other better known marine megafauna. As a result of the rapid growth in whale shark science, we have transformed our understanding of this species in exciting ways in just a few years.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are an extraordinary circum-global elasmobranch that lives in equatorial, tropical and subtropical waters. They are the only pelagic member of their order, the Orectolobiformes, which includes typically bottom-dwelling species such as the zebra shark (Stegastoma fasciatum), wobbegongs (Orectolobus spp.), and bamboo sharks (Hemiscyllium and Chiloscyl-lium spp.). But the two things that really set whale sharks apart from all other shark species are their excep-tionally large size and their filter-feeding habit, both of which doubt-lessly contribute to their English common name. Different cultures recognize whale sharks with a range of other colourful names includ-ing marokintana (Malagasy), which means “coat of stars”; jimbe zame (Japanese), which means “spotted ki-mono”; papa shilingi (Swahili), which means “covered in coins”; and ca ong (Vietnamese), which rather fittingly means “Sir fish”.

Georgia Aquarium currently houses four whale sharks in its Ocean Voy-ager exhibit, which is presently the largest single exhibit in the world, containing 6.3 million gallons (23.85 million liters) of synthetic seawater and a diverse collection of teleosts and elasmobranchs. On a diet of Euphausia superba and E. pacifica krill (a type of small shrimp-like crus-tacean), lance fish, silversides and vitaminsed gel diet, all four animals have grown significantly since they were added to the collection (ap-proximately 1–3 ft/or 0.3–1 m per year). They have proven amenable to a limited amount of training, which has greatly aided the husbandry staff in their management of the collec-tion. For instance, each animal is fed with a different colored ladle and from a specific feeding station, to which they return with good fidel-ity; they are evidently much more food motivated than many sharks that have more sporadic predatory habits. Interestingly, a similar capac-ity for operant conditioning is evident among manta rays, another giant filter feeder, with which they share their exhibit.

Adult whale sharks may reach lengths of 45 feet (14 meters) or more, and weights in excess of 25,000lbs (12 tonnes), which makes them the larg-est fish of any kind, cartilaginous or bony. Their observed diet in a natural setting consists of krill, as well as fish eggs, larval fish and other members of the larger zooplankton. To feed successfully on such items, whale sharks have evolved intricate filter pads derived from their gill rakers, which line a capacious mouth that may be 4 feet (1.3m) wide and equally as long. Collaborative research between Georgia Aquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory and University of South Florida has shown that the way these filter pads function is unique among fishes and harnesses a re-markable engineering process called cross-flow filtration, which allows extremely efficient filtration without clogging.

Prior to opening in 2005, Georgia Aquarium has participated in research on whale sharks in Quintana Roo, Mexico, where whale sharks aggre-gate annually in the summertime off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Initially, this work was carried out in collaboration with the Mexican Fed-eral Government and Mote Marine Laboratory under the auspices of the Project Domino consortium, which explored population size and compo-sition as well as field diet studies and migratory behavior with a view to better management of a burgeoning ecotourism industry. More recently, the Aquarium has co-founded a new NGO, Ch’ooj Ajauil (Mayan for “Blue Realm”), with Mexican whale shark biologists led by Rafael de la Parra, to advocate for greater conserva-tion protections for this region. The collective research efforts of Project Domino and Blue Realm have de-scribed two whale shark aggregations including the largest known to science, as well as characterizing whale shark diets and feeding behavior in Yucatan Mexico, investigating their chemosen-sory ability to detect food in the open ocean, revealing their migratory pat-terns through satellite telemetry and cataloguing over 900 new individual animals through photographic iden-tification using the ECOCEAN global whale shark database.

…Far from being sub-reptilian automatons, this study has shown that whale sharks have a surprisingly diverse behavioral repertoire …

19WAZA news 2/13

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The management of a collection of whale sharks in an aquarium setting has also presented truly unique and exciting in-house research opportuni-ties of a quite different nature than those underway for field popula-tions. Studies of animals in human care have so far focused on behavior, functional anatomy, basic biology, internal physiology, homeostasis and genetics. Whale shark research, in particular, is an integral component of Georgia Aquarium’s emerging One Ocean, One Health program, which integrates studies of animal, hu-man and environmental health. In a unique collaboration between staff, volunteers, students and behavioral ecologists at Georgia State Uni-versity, we have begun to explore the behavior of whale sharks in the Ocean Voyager exhibit through the Whale Shark Behavioural Observation Program. Far from being sub-reptilian automatons, this study has shown that whale sharks have a surpris-ingly diverse behavioral repertoire, and there is even some preliminary evidence of social interactions in the group, such as predictable outcomes of physical contact between given pairs of individuals. Observing whale

shark behavior certainly differs from ethological studies in, say, marine mammals or primates. The biggest difference is that the observer needs to “slow down” their mindset; whale sharks move slowly, and their behav-iors tend to present quietly and subtly over longer time spans than most behaviourists are used to. Nonethe-less, this is an exciting area of study, and one that will hopefully pave the way for more behavioral studies of this and other elasmobranchs.

At times during the short history of Georgia Aquarium, the staff has car-ried out veterinary exams on whale sharks in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. These medical procedures require the collaboration of dozens of people, from veterinary services to dive operations, husbandry, plant engi-neering and life support. The result is that veterinary staff have been able to obtain blood and other biological samples for clinical assessment, as well as apply several imaging modali-ties (e.g. ultrasound, endoscopy), and it has also allowed the husbandry staff to obtain accurate morphomet-ric measurements in ways that have not yet been possible in field studies.

Georgia Aquarium’s research has focused on the internal biology of whale sharks, based in large part on samples obtained during veterinary procedures. We have described the morphology of whale shark blood cells, which is consistent with other orectolobiforms in that they have large red and white cells. This may have important implications for their functional capacity because, for instance, red cell size is inversely proportional to oxygen carrying ca-pacity. More recently, we have been collaborating with researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Birmingham in the UK to explore the chemistry of whale shark serum using a discovery-based approach called metabolomics, which applies nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques to determine the composition of fluid samples. These methods have pro-vided tremendous amounts of data about the specific components of whale shark serum and their rela-tive abundances, which reveal much about the metabolism of this spe-cies. We have so far identified over twenty potentially useful biomarkers

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Boys with whale shark at Georgia Aquarium.

© Georgia Aquarium

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of health, many of which may be applicable to other shark species as well. From these sorts of analyses, we hope to build a conceptual model of the physiology of whale sharks and to optimize methods for metabo-lomic studies of other marine species. Indeed, since the publication of the whale shark metabolomics study, we have started metabolomic studies on salmon and bottlenose dolphins.

Tissue samples taken from the first two male animals in the collection, which died in late 2006 and early 2007, have produced invaluable scien-tific data and continue to do so up to the present day. Material from these animals was essential to the research on functional anatomy of the filter feeding apparatus and to the only study of comparative brain anatomy in sharks. Perhaps most excitingly, DNA extracted from spleen and liver tissue from these animals is forming the basis of a whale shark genome sequencing project, which is a col-laboration between the aquarium and several research groups at Emory University. No other shark has had its entire genome sequenced to date, and the whale shark also forms an interesting target for genomics because it is the largest member of the largest class of vertebrates and so represents a phenotypic extreme among its relatives. Sharks were also the first vertebrate group to evolve an adaptive immune system that relies on antibodies, so the genomic basis of their immune function tells us about the evolution of our own ability to fight off disease via adaptive immunity.

Future research on whale sharks at Georgia Aquarium will be to maxi-mize the extraordinary opportunities presented by housing this unique spe-cies in an aquarium setting, and then to take methods and approaches we develop and apply them to the field. A good example is the refinement of laser photogrammetry. In this non-invasive technique, calibrated laser points are projected onto an animal, photographed by a diver, and then used to derive accurate estimates of different morphometric measure-ments. We are currently validating this method by measuring the same 4 aquarium animals many, many times and developing a robust understand-ing of the precision of the technique. We can then apply photogrammetry in the field where there is usually only one or two opportunities to obtain a measurement of any given animal, and still have good confidence in the length estimates obtained. This is important information because studies elsewhere have shown that ecotourism can and does affect the size of whale sharks in a population; size changes may be an important indicator of our impact on the species.

Proper research requires both field and aquarium settings. While we can learn a tremendous amount from animals in human care, it will always require extrapolation to apply these findings to wild populations, so there remains no substitute for field work when it comes to collecting the most

biologically-relevant data about this remarkable species. Tremendous logistic challenges lie in the future of these efforts because this species is so large and so intractable that even simple natural history studies can be incredibly hard to achieve. But through collaboration with talented specialists, we have come a long way in just a few years in the aquarium setting and the potential research returns are great for whale sharks and for sharks in general. By com-mitting to ongoing, creative and collaborative research activities, we can fill gaping holes in the scientific understanding of one of the world’s largest and most unusual species. The aquarium’s collection can also form a focal point for whale shark research throughout the world. The best example yet of this may be the upcoming 3rd International Whale Shark Conference (http://iwsc3.info), which will be held at Georgia Aquarium in October 2013. Our goal is that the burgeoning science sur-rounding this species will continue to provide a steady stream of content for outreach and education programs and thereby enhance global efforts to preserve and protect the amazing whale shark.

To find out more: www.georgiaaquarium.org

…The aquarium’s collection can also form a focal point for whale shark research throughout the world…

21WAZA news 2/13

Gerald Dick – WAZA Executive Office

The book can be ordered at: www.hmhbooks.com

To get access to the online book: type „Frederick Fichman“ in the search bar of www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com/NookTo find ouot more: www.visit-the-zoo.com

Book Reviews

Books

The Tapir ScientistBy Sy Montgomery, photo-graphs by Nic BishopHoughton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, 80 pp, ISBN 978-0-547-81548-0

An adventurous book for adventur-ers, you feel being part of a group of people looking for tapirs, guided by scientists; one guide spotted what they came for right when entering the tapir’s trail on the very first page: a tapir (TAY-peer). “It’s surely one of the weirdest looking and most myste-rious animals on earth”, that’s what he said when leading a group of peo-ple coming from three different conti-nents. Pati Medici, a well known field biologist of Brazil, leading a WAZA branded project, guides through the book and explains the different tapir species, their biology and also meets capybaras, yacare caimans, rheas, toucans and wild pigs amongst other species. The reader joins the scientists for trapping tapirs which are then tracked by radio telemetry. This is not an easy task and you get the impression to be really part of the team. The book is lively written and well illustrated by stunning photos. It is great fun to join the team and learn about the Pantanal while driv-ing over the dusty tracks and check-ing camera traps. The wonderful journey, accompanying the team of biologists, ends rather quickly, but for sure the perception of stupid tapirs – as often heard in Brazil – is put right in this publication. And: it is not only about tapirs: “Conservationists recog-nize tapirs as an “umbrella species” – animals who need large amounts of land and often different habitat types. If tapirs are protected, that “umbrella” of protection will safeguard many other species as well.”

Visit the Zoo, vol. XIIBy Tom Smith Frederick Fichman Publishing, Maricopa, USA, 2013, 46 pp, ISBN 13978-0-9889636-9-6

With over 120 zoo animals in twelve separate books, “Visit the Zoo” takes you on a walking tour of the zoo through vivid, close up and personal photography, with concise and easy to read descriptions of the animals. The marvelous aspect of this series is that in each animal description you learn something fascinating, new and even astonishing about their anatomy or behavior. This existing journey through the modern zoo with its large collection of familiar and strange creatures is also a won-derful educational tool for young or not-so-young minds. The population status of each animal, endangered or not, is described and details of their habitat, diet, dimensions and longev-ity are discussed as well.

The “Visit the Zoo” series gives children and young adults an im-mediate appreciation for the animal word. There are little known facts about these animals that will aston-ish young minds. The purpose of the series is to expose our young ones to the animals that share our planet. From all corners of our world zoos have collected these wondrous crea-tures from places on earth that most of these children and young adults will never visit. More than just an identification plaque in front of a zoo habitat or enclosure, reading the books in the “Visit the Zoo” Series is like having a personal docent in the palm of your hand in a Ebook reader, tablet of smartphone.

22 WAZA news 2/13

Announcements

WAZA Executive Office

AnnouncementsJournal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine

AAZV Offers Free Online Subscription to the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine for WAZA Members

WAZA has been supporting the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine for several years. As a token of ap-preciation for WAZA’s support, AAZV is making the Journal available online to WAZA members.

Many of the veterinarians practicing in WAZA member institutions already subscribe to the Journal through their membership in AAZV, EAZWV, or as a subscription. However, if your vet-erinarian does not have access, now’s your chance to give her/him access. If your veterinarian has access already, you may order online access for a vet-erinarian at a sister institution that you work with. The offer is limited to one online access per institution.

Here’s how it works. The AAZV sys-tem only allows for individuals to gain online access, and each individual

receives a user name and password for access. (Sorry, there are no insti-tutional subscriptions through the AAZV system). AAZV sends an updat-ed list to the publisher (Allen Press) about four weeks prior to publication of each issue, and the issues come out in March, June, September and December each year. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please send an email to AAZVOrg@aol.com with the following information:

• The name of your institution• The name and contact email

address of the person submitting this information

• The name of the veterinarian who you would like to grant access to the JZWM

• The name of the institution where the veterinarian works

• The email address of the veterinarian

Online access runs out automatically each year on 31 January, so it will be necessary for you to order access each year if your membership is ac-tive with WAZA and if you want the veterinarian to have access continu-ally going forward. You can send the above information any time between 15 November and 31 January to en-sure seamless access.

2012 Proceedings of Melbourne Conference Published

The proceedings of the 67th An-nual WAZA Conference have been published and are available on the WAZA website. The full version of the proceedings are available on the members’ area (documents) whereas the technical congress papers only are again publically available under Marketing/Publications.

Mermaids Celebrate World Ocean Day 2013!

We’d like to offer you the opportunity to engage, entertain, and inform your visitors with “Mission of Mermaids”, a fifteen-minute documentary writ-ten, directed, and produced by Susan Rockefeller. Her previous filmmak-ing credits include co-producing the much-lauded “A Sea Change”, the first feature-length documentary about ocean acidification. The mermaid is the perfect storytelling vehicle to open our eyes, stretch our imaginations, and bring emotion and science togeth-er in a way that transcends cultures, generations, and even politics. We are promoting screenings of “Mission of Mermaids” around the globe to com-memorate World Ocean Day on June 8th, 2013, and would like to partner with you to present the film at your zoo or aquarium. Free of charge.

We have prepared a study guide that can be used as an educational tool to share with your audience, large and small. This can be found on the web-site oceanconnection.org. Listed on the site are some of the United States’ best aquariums under the Resources page on the site. If yours is not there, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it. We are eager to work with you in support of our mutual mission to serve the ocean-loving public.For more information, contact Gwendolyn Alston at gwen@missionofmermaids.com

To find out more: www.missionofmermaids.com

23WAZA news 2/13

Andrij Horodysky and colleagues

Tarpons, Ladyfishes, and Bonefishes assessed for the IUCN Red List

Announcements

For the first time, all species of Tarpons, Ladyfishes, and Bonefishes have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Of the 17 known species, two are classified as Vulnerable, being at risk of extinc-tion. One species is listed as Near Threatened, three have been placed in the Least Concern category, and 11 are classified as Data Deficient.

The results show that the situation is particularly serious for Pacific Bone-fishes. Three of the 17 species are in the Vulnerable or Near Threatened IUCN Red List Categories. These include: Tarpon (Megalops atlanti-cus), Vulnerable; Roundjaw Bonefish (Albula glossodonta), Vulnerable; and Bonefish (A. vulpes), Near Threatened.

“This is the first time that fishery scientists, fish ecologists, and con-servationists have come together to jointly produce an assessment of the threats facing these recreationally and economically important coastal fishes,” says Dr Aaron Adams, Ex-ecutive Director of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, and lead author of the paper. Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) has long championed research and conservation of bonefish, tarpon, and their habitats as a means to protect healthy fisheries, restore fisher-ies that have declined, and ensure healthy fisheries for the future. BTT is pleased that IUCN hosted the expert group to conduct this global review, which will greatly assist research and conservation efforts, and bring these species the attention they deserve.

An interesting finding of the review was that bonefish and tarpon popu-lations appear most stable in regions supporting economically-valuable destination and catch-and-release fisheries. “In those areas, local fishermen have a strong economic incentive to support conservation, as the economic impact of a fish released numerous times during its lifespan exceeds the monetary value of its protein by several orders of magnitude.

Together We Have the Power to Protect the Ocean!People around the world depend on a healthy, clean ocean in order to survive and thrive. World Oceans Day is the official UN-des-ignated international day of ocean celebration. On June 8th each year, we celebrate the ocean, its impor-tance in our lives, and how we can protect it.

WorldOceansDay.org aims to help you make a difference in your life, community, and world by taking action to protect our ocean – for present and future generations. Despite the huge challenges fac-ing the world’s ocean, by working together we can achieve a healthy ocean that provides for the billions of humans, plants and animals which depend on it every day.

The two-year theme for 2013 and 2014 is together we have the power to protect the ocean!

For the next two years we ask you to celebrate the ocean and strive to protect it. Connect with your family, friends, community, and the entire planet on World Oceans Day to take action and create the future you want.

To find out more: www.worldoceansday.org

To find out more: www.iucnredlist.org

24 WAZA news 2/13

Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus).

Juvenile tarpon habitat.

© Aaron Adams

© Aaron Adams

Recent Updates

»Gerald Dick – WAZA Executive Office

Highlights of CITES CoP 163–14 March 2013, Bangkok

To find out more: www.elephant-management.com

First European Elephant Management School in HamburgCourse: 11th–19th November 2013

Since eleven years (founded Nov. 2003) Elephant Business (Escondi-do, USA) and Hagenbecks Tier-park (Hamburg, Germany) offer annually a unique comprehensive course on elephant management. The curriculum covers the major-ity aspects of elephant manage-ment and elephant care, from husbandry and health care, to transport, training, reproduction and conservation. Due to the large interest we have decided to offer this course again in Novem-ber 2013. This is the eleventh year of the school and each year it has been highly successful.Protected contact as well as free contact management techniques and procedures will be trained (e.g. foot trimming, health care, trans-port, management techniques). The School is held in a nine days session. The course is recommend-ed for all people responsible for el-ephants in a zoo environment. i.e.: keepers, zoo curator, veterinarians, and other professionals with an interest in elephant care, conser-vation and management. Please mark, that the number of partici-pants is limited to 15 students!

• Location: Tierpark Hagenbeck Hamburg, Germany (practical courses) and Lindners Parkhotel Hagenbeck Hamburg, Germany (theoretical lessons)

• Language: English (on special request we are also able to offer the course in other languages)

Contact: prahl@hagenbeck.de

After a very long meeting, with a focus on procedural issues in the beginning, finally decisions were taken which are also relevant for the zoo and aquarium community. Whereas the discus-sion on the so called purpose codes (defining the purpose of transaction by codes like “zoo” or as it was proposed for “commercial reasons, including captive breeding” or “non-commercial purposes including conservation”) was postponed until the next CoP, some highlights are summarized below.

Urine & Faeces

Urine, faeces and white ambergris (that has been naturally excreted by a sperm whale) are not considered as parts or derivatives of a CITES species and are therefore not covered by the provisions of the Convention.

Transport of Live Animals

Parties to CITES are urged to use the IATA guidelines for International Air Transport or, in the case of non-air transport, the CITES Guidelines for the Non-Air Transport of Live Wild Animals and Plants which were accepted at the CoP 16 as document CoP 16 Com II.12

While all requirements for the ship-ment of plants are considered to be covered by the Perishable Cargo Regulations of the International Air Transport Association, the document presented at CoP16 widely deals with the transport of live wild animals and consists of three parts.

Following a short introduction on CITES and the transport of live speci-mens, a “General Conditions” sec-tion contains guidance on planning obligations for the transport of live animals, means of transport, marking

and labeling, persons accompanying transports, loading and unloading of animals, and measures to be taken during transport.

The “Technical Specifications” deal with identified taxa that require transport conditions additional to or deviating from those found in the IATA Live Animals Regulations that become the basic standard for all modes of transport.

With this, ways of transporting animals via non-air transport means are defined and, guidance is provided, thus improving legal certainty.

3 March: World Wildlife Day

The recommendation which was presented at the conference now declares 3 March, the date of the adoption of CITES, of each year as World Wildlife Day.

Sharks and Rays listed under CITES

The Parties confirmed a decision made by one of the Conference’s Committees earlier in the confer-ence to include five commercially valuable shark species in Appendix II. The oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus), scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrma lewini), great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran), smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zigaena) and the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) are harvested in huge numbers for their valuable fins and, in some cases, meat. From now onwards, they will have to be traded with CITES permits and evidence will have to be provided that they are harvested sustainably and legally. These listings mark a milestone in the involvement of CITES in marine species.

25WAZA news 2/13

Recent Updates

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The proposal to include manta ray species (Manta spp.) in Appendix II was adopted. Manta rays are slow-growing, large-bodied migratory animals with small, highly fragment-ed populations. They have among the lowest reproductive rates of any marine animals, with females giving birth to only one pup every two to three years, making them extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. Most known populations are small in size, although there is an exceptional population of one species in the Maldives, estimated at 5,000 or more. Manta gill plates fetch high prices in international markets and have been traded in significant numbers in recent years.

Transfer of freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon) from Appendix II to Ap-pendix I was introduced by Australia and accepted by consensus. It felt that, despite a zero export quota since June 2011, the Appendix-I listing would reinforce its domestic export ban and send a message to traders who might harvest the species in an-ticipation of trade. Australia acknowl-edged the support of other range States for the proposal and noted that the proposal was supported by the Secretariat, the FAO Expert Panel and TRAFFIC.

Appendix I and Appendix II

Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-list-ed animals and plants (see Article II, paragraph 1 of the Convention). They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial (see Article III), for instance for scientific research. In these exceptional cases, trade may take place provided it is authorized by the granting of both an import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate). Article VII of the Conven-tion provides for a number of exemp-tions to this general prohibition.

To find out more: www.cites.org

Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. It also includes so-called “look-alike species”, i.e. species of which the specimens in trade look like those of species listed for conservation rea-sons (see Article II, paragraph 2 of the Convention). International trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export certificate. No import permit is necessary for these species under CITES (although a permit is needed in some countries that have taken stricter measures than CITES requires). Permits or cer-tificates should only be granted if the relevant authorities are satisfied that certain conditions are met, above all that trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild. (See Article IV of the Convention).

26 WAZA news 2/13

Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini).

Manta rays in Georgia Aquarium.

© Shmulik Blum – Underseahunter.com

© Gerald Dick, WAZA

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

Markus Gusset – WAZA Executive OfficeJames Musinguzi – UWEC

Update on International Studbooks

CITES in Action: 32 Parrots Returned to UWEC

There are currently 127 active inter-national studbooks (ISBs), including 161 species or sub-species (10 ISBs cover more than one taxon). The following events regarding ISBs have occurred since 1 October 2012:

ISBs archived• None.

ISBs established• On 20 March 2013, CPM approved

the establishment of an ISB for the black-crested mangabey (Lophocebus aterrimus), kept by Tjerk ter Meulen (GaiaZoo Kerkrade, The Netherlands).

Transfer of ISBs to new keepers

• On 18 February 2013, CPM approved the transfer of the muskox (Ovibos moschatus) ISB to Mikkel Stelvig (Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark).

• On 20 February 2013, CPM approved the transfer of the Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana) ISB to Donald Gow (Edinburgh Zoo, UK).

• On 7 March 2013, CPM approved the transfer of the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) ISB to Sander Hofman (Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Belgium).

Transfer of ISBs to new institutions

• None.

Pending issues• As of 31 March 2013, ISBs for

the Rodrigues fruit bat (Pteropus rodricensis), Asian lion (Panthera leo persica), Edwards’ pheasant (Lophura edwardsi), Vietnamese pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis), Mauritius pink pigeon (Columba mayeri) and aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) are vacant.

At least 32 African grey parrots said to have been seized in Eastern Europe in a botched pet trade deal, were re-turned to a natural habitat in Uganda at the weekend.

The endangered bird species is re-garded by experts as one of the most intelligent birds in the world. Authori-ties at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (Uwec) were delighted to receive the parrots, which originally numbered 108, many of them hav-ing succumbed to bad weather and poor packaging. The birds are said to have been seized at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria from Lebanon en route to a consignee in Serbia. “This is the first time African Grey Parrots confiscated outside Africa are returned to one of their range countries for rehabilita-tion,” the Uwec executive director, Mr James Musinguzi, said.

Finding habitat

Mr Musinguzi said following the seizure, Sofia Zoo in Bulgaria had been assigned temporary custody of the birds before a judge’s decision on their suitable destination. He added that having successfully rehabilitated and released 204 African Grey Parrots confiscated at the Ugandan border in January 2011, UWEC was contacted to receive the birds by the World Parrot Trust, a body spearheading the translocation. He said after the sur-vey, Ngamba Island, home to various wild parrots, was found to be a suit-able habitat.“All the birds are in good health save for one that had shade off its feathers – a sign of malnutri-tion,” said Mr Musinguzi. “We have kept them in a quarantine aviary for monitoring and inspection for 30 days and will release them after.”

27WAZA news 2/13

Grey parrot.

© Alexander Sliwa

Samantha Ward – South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Cumbria, UK

WAZA Project 12013Sumatran Tiger Trust Conservation Program

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

The Sumatran Tiger Trust (STT) is a charity managed and run by South Lakes Wild Animal Park, with all administration and additional costs being supported by the animal park to ensure 100% of donations go to Suma-tra to help the tigers. The STT contrib-utes over £50,000 per year towards the Sumatran Tiger Trust Conservation Program (STTCP) and has provided funding for the last 16 years. The STTCP now works within two national parks in Sumatra; Bukit Tigapuluh Na-tional Park and Way Kambas National Park. The STT funds anti-poaching teams across the two national parks where the wages, training, uniforms, food, vehicles and anything else needed to patrol the difficult terrain is paid for to ensure the safety of the animals and forest. Even though the parks are “protected” areas, unfortu-nately the presence of illegal loggers, camping sites and poaching evidence (e.g. snares) is all too common and the teams have to deal with some very difficult situations.

The teams also maintain and relocate motion sensor camera traps. These cameras are able to capture photo-graphs and video footage of the di-verse range of fauna that are endemic to the island and are used to track tiger populations and collect other vital information. Due to the long-term monitoring at one of the national parks (Way Kambas), it is known that there are over 45 species of animals living there, including the Sumatran rhinoceros that we work alongside the International Rhino Foundation to protect and monitor. Where possible, the STTCP works towards field re-search and has more recently contrib-uted to a number of studies, including a publication on the population status of the Sumatran tiger throughout Sumatra along with supporting a PhD study dedicated to cat abundance and activity budgets within the forest.

The STTCP not only facilitates the Sumatran ecosystem but contributes towards helping the local commu-nities. Funding was provided and teams helped to build schools and we continually pay for teachers enabling children access to national qualifica-tions as well as learn about sustain-able living and the troubles their local tiger population face. The STT also funds for the provision of much needed health care within areas that are in excess of 60 km from a hospi-tal or doctors. In one month alone, 123 people were treated and seen to with preventable illnesses such as tu-berculosis, lung infections, nutritional issues and tooth disease.

On a local basis, South Lakes Wild Animal Park is strongly involved with the Sumatran tiger EEP and is home to a breeding pair of Sumatran tigers (Alisha and Padang), with the successful birth of their first cub in 2009. Alisha, Padang and Kadi are ambassadors for their species and for the work that the STTCP does in Sumatra. On a daily basis, the animal park comes to a stand still for the tiger talk and feeding. A high impact-ing, passionate and educational talk is given to the members of the public,

informing them of the problems that tigers face and what they can do to reduce this, involving topics such as recycling and checking products for sustainable palm oil use. Once the crowds are suitably enthused about saving the tigers, Alisha, Padang and Kadi are released from their dens for the spectacular feeding up 6 m poles. On a summer’s day, after a talk and feeding, STT donation buckets have raised up to £600! The tigers at the animal park, however, are not only utilised to raise public awareness. They have also been able to test the suitability of GPS tracking collars to be used on tigers in Sumatra and for research into developing positive hus-bandry practices within captivity.

The PKHS and STT work towards a greater future for the people, the animals and the habitat of Sumatra, none of which would be possible without the support of many mem-bers of the public and Bioparc Doué la Fontaine for making contributions of both time and money for this hugely important cause.

28 WAZA news 2/13

Motion sensor camera being fitted at

© Sumatran Tiger Trust

Bukit Tigapuluh National Park.

Male Sumatran tiger at Way Kambas National Park.

© Sumatran Tiger Trust

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

Edwin Mole – Bristol Zoo Gardens, UK

WAZA Project 12014

Bristol Zoo Gardens, with the sup-port of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, have set up a new excit-ing project that tackles plant conser-vation with the help of nine commu-nity groups from around the city.

Most gardeners have heard of Plant Heritage’s National Plant Collections, but what is not obvious is that certain groups of plants are under-represent-ed in the National Plant Collections scheme. One such group is hardy annuals; they create a number of challenges due to cross-pollination if they are grown together and the per-ception that they are “easy” by those considering creating collections. The result is that despite containing some of the most exciting plants that grow in a UK garden, they are neglected when compared to perennials in terms of their presence in conser-vation collections. By making this project a dispersed collection, these challenges are easier to manage. A dispersed collection is a botanical collection of plants that are man-aged centrally but that are grown on a number of different sites.

Calendula, commonly known as a pot marigold, was chosen for this trial as it is well known as both a popular garden flower and also for its medici-nal value. Bristol Zoo Gardens wanted to grow a mixture of species (to support the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation) and varieties. Although there are a huge number of varieties available commercially, only two spe-cies of the plant are available. Since the start of the project, Calendula species seed from the Botanic Garden attached to Bayreuth University in Germany and six species from the US Department of Agriculture research department have been received and grown for the project, bringing the total to eight.

Very quickly a number of groups either were approached or found out about the project and asked if they could be involved. These groups have grown 30 plants for a display in the zoo in summer 2012 and keep plants on site to harvest the seed later in the year. All the groups have been pro-vided with training from Bristol Zoo Gardens staff, growing equipment, information packs and site visits to give advice and support throughout the spring and summer.

The project appears to be the first of its kind because it is a dispersed collection and also engaging commu-nity groups to be part of the growing process. It is hoped that by involving community groups a greater under-standing of Calendula and plants in general will be gained. And, most im-portantly, that individuals and groups can take a very active part in plant conservation right here in Bristol.

…by involving community groups a greater understanding of Calendula and plants in general will be gained…

29WAZA news 2/13

Chard Court

Training session for

© Bristol Zoo Gardens

© Bristol Zoo Gardens

The Bristol Community Plant Collection

50+ Accommodation

Stoke Bishop Primary

Complex and their

School Eco-Club.

Calendula “experiment”.

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

Guillermo Cubillos Torres – National Zoological Gardens, Santiago, Chile

WAZA Project 12015Humboldt Penguin Conservation Strategies

According to the Penguin Manage-ment and Conservation Plan, the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus hum-boldti) is considered to be Vulnerable and it is listed on CITES Appendix 1. In Chile, the Humboldt penguin is also considered Vulnerable. In Peru, the species is listed as Close to Extinction. The Humboldt penguin population has been declining in the last three decades; currently, the population continues to decline. This is due to several factors, including low repro-duction, high mortality, individuals trapped in fishing nets and high mor-tality due to El Niño events.

One of the nesting sites for this spe-cies in the central region of Chile is Algarrobo Island, situated west to the bay of Algarrobo, 150 km from Punta del Fraile. The main characteristic of this island is its marine bird diversity, given that it is a nesting and resting site for several species, among them Humboldt penguin, kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) and Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus). For central Chile it has been described that reproduction can be heavily affected by oceano-graphic (EI Niño) and climate (rain) factors, thus influencing reproductive success.

There are two main reproductive peaks for Humboldt penguins. The first runs from August to January (spring) and the second between April and June (autumn). The latter is usually affected by rains that flood nests and cause fleeing of the birds. This was described in 1996 and 1997, where respectively 86% and 94% of active nests were abandoned. In 1999, 47% of the nests were deserted for the same reasons. Hence, the second reproductive peak is regularly jeopardised resulting in low reproduc-tive output. A similar situation was reported for Cachagua Island, 90 km north of Pájaro Island, suggesting that this is a general effect for nesting sites in Chile.

Natural pressures such as oceano-graphic and climate factors affect reproductive success. Additionally, human factors like faeces extraction (“guano”), accidental fishing and pollution pose further threats to the penguin populations. Therefore, the aim of this project is to establish a captive breeding colony based on eggs collected from the wild, spe-cifically Algarrobo Island, using the autumn reproductive peak, which we know has a high natural mortality rate. In this way, we want to make a contribution to the genetic conser-vation of this threatened species, as well as improving knowledge about their reproduction.

…The Humboldt penguin population has been declining in the last three decades; This is due to several factors…

30 WAZA news 2/13

© National Zoological Gardens of Chile

Panel providing information about

the project.

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

Christer Larsson – Nordens Ark, Hunnebostrand, Sweden

WAZA Project 12016Restocking of the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Sweden

»

The lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus) (LWfG) is a globally threatened species and is presently the most endangered breeding bird in the Nordic countries. It is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN and listed as Critically Endangered in all three Nor-dic countries. The global population has rapidly declined since the 1950s and it is estimated that there are only around 20,000–33,000 individuals left in the wild. In Fennoscandia the population has undergone a severe historical decline and today it only occurs in restricted breeding sites in the most northern parts. The Nor-wegian population scarcely exceeds 30 pairs and no breeding has been observed in Finland for several years. In Sweden, the population consists of ca. 100 birds descending partly from reintroduced birds in the 1980s and 1990s. Hunting along its migration

routes, especially in Eastern Europe and in the regions along the Black and Caspian seas, is considered to be the main cause of decline.

The LWfG Project was launched in the 1970s by the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, the Swedish Environmental Protec-tion Agency and WWF. Between 1981 and1999 the project released 348 young birds in Swedish Lapland. The captive-bred birds were released together with barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) that served as foster par-ents. The LWfG adopted the migra-tion routes of their foster parents to the wintering grounds in the Neth-erlands. The reintroduced stock thus uses a migration route that excludes countries with high hunting pressures. The method was very successful and resulted in a small population ap-proaching 100 birds in Sweden.

The restocking attempts were tem-porarily stopped in 2000 due to the discovery of greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) genes in some of the birds in the breeding popula-tion. All contaminated geese in the two main breeding facilities, the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management station Öster Malma and Nordens Ark, were there-fore phased out from the breeding programme. It was decided not to capture or remove the already rein-troduced birds since the frequency of A. albifrons alleles in the reintroduced population was relatively low and since they also carried genes from the indigenous population. The restock-ing attempts were to continue but now using only pure LWfG of known origin.

31WAZA news 2/13

© Christer Larsson

Attaching tracking device to a lesser white-fronted goose.

Recent Updates | New WAZA Projects

»WAZA Executive Office

WAZA Executive Office

Contacts• Executive Director:

Gerald.Dick@waza.org• PA/Office

management/accounting: secretariat@waza.org or Monica.Gamp@waza.org

• Marketing/Communication: Carole.Lecointre@waza.org

• Conservation/International Studbooks: Markus.Gusset@waza.org

• Decade on Biodiversity project manager: Tiago.Pintopereira@waza.org

In 2006 the project restarted using a breeding population founded from LWfG captured as juveniles in the western parts of the Russian tundra. In order not to jeopardise the wild Russian population, not more than two chicks were allowed to be taken from each brood. After a veterinary examination at Moscow Zoo, the goslings are transported to a new breeding facility established at Nordens Ark. To secure the survival of the valuable new founder popula-tion, a second backup population will also be established at Öster Malma. The facility in Nordens Ark has room for about 15 breeding pairs as well as unpaired and sub-adult birds.

In 2010 the restocking of captive-bred birds in Lapland was resumed. Only goslings produced from the new wild-caught birds are now used for restocking purposes and the geese are released without foster par-ents. Instead a new release method is used where captive-bred geese are imprinted on wild counterparts and follow them on their migration routes. The release takes place in mid-July when the captive-bred birds are transferred to the release site in the Swedish mountains. The release site is located in proximity to nesting grounds of wild LWfG. Prior to the release the goslings are kept in small enclosures to acclimatise to their new environment. All birds are individually marked with metal and colour rings for future identification.

Errata

WAZA News 1/13, page 30 both photos © Zoo de Servion; page 31, photo caption: Indian Gazelle (Gazelle bennetti) also called Chinkara

Breeding results under the new founders have been encouraging. The first goslings were hatched in 2008 and until 2012, a total of 86 goslings have been bred and reared by their parents. 52 individuals have been used for restocking purposes in the northern parts of Sweden and Norway. The goal is to strengthen the small fragments of LWfG still living in northern Scandinavia and improve the diversity of the wild stock.

The breeding and restocking project is part of the Swedish Action Plan for the conservation of the spe-cies, which also includes monitoring, predation control and awareness campaigns. It is implemented by Nor-dens Ark, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, County Admin-istrative Board and the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management. Nordens Ark’s part of the project is funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Hasselblad Foundation and Fonda-tion Segré.

WAZA Council Elections 2013

This year is again a year of Council elections. This time the elections will be carried out by electronic vote. This saves time and money and secures that everybody has the opportunity to vote in time. The ballot will be sent out as a link (sent automatically by simplyvoting.com, mentioning WAZA Council elections) to our main contact in the WAZA membership directory.

• The date of sending out the infor-mation will be the 13th May and the ballot will be open till 13th June.

• Please make sure that you check the correct e-mail account of your organisation (as mentioned in the WAZA Membership Directory) and also check your spam folder after the date of sending. There is only one mail per member and only the one e-mail address is allowed to take a vote.

• The ballot will contain all the candi-dates and a short bio per candidate.

32 WAZA news 2/13

© Tom Svensson

Lesser white-fronted goose.

Recent Updates

Future WAZA Conference Venues• 2013 Disney’s Animal Kingdom, USA (13–17 Oct 2013)• 2014 New Delhi, India (2–6 Nov 2014 – New Date!)• 2015 Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (11–15 Oct 2015)• 2016 Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico (9–13 Oct 2016)• 2017 Barcelona, Spain (15–19 Oct 2017)

New WAZA Members

• Zoo de Servion | Switzerland | as institutional member

• Mysore Zoo | India | as institutional member

• Kristiansand Dyrepark | Norway | as institutional member

WAZA Membership as of 30th April 2013

Associations 24 Institutions 273 Affiliates 15 Corporates 16 Life and Honorary members 110

New Directors

• Rolf Veenhuizen has replaced Pep Xarles as President of ICZ (International Congress of Zookeepers) as of September 2012

• Dr Jeong-Rae Rho replaced Dr Eui-Won Mo as director of Seoul Zoo (Republic of Korea)

• Arne Lawrenz replaced Ulrich Schürer at Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) as of 1 March 2013

• Tom Stalf has been named President & CEO of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA)

• Kirsten Pullen replaced Miranda Stevenson as CEO of BIAZA (UK)

• Chris Hibbard replaced Martin Phillips as executive director of ZAA (Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia), Australia as of April 2013

• Tshepang Makganye has replaced Louise Gordon as interim CEO of Johannesburg Zoo (South Africa)

• Sergey Popov and Natalia Kolobova replaced Vladimir Spitsin as director and CEO respectively at Moscow Zoo (Russia)

68th WAZA Annual Conference and Technical Congress 2013 will take place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, USA, 13–17 October 2013.

Early Bird Registration is open until 31 May. Please do not miss it! Please fol-low the link via the 2013 button on the homepage of www.waza.org.Accommodation can be directly booked at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/beach-club-resort/. A special room rate of $225 has been negotiated, please mention

“WAZA Conference” when booking. Rooms will only be held until 13 September so PLEASE book before then, as rooms may then be unavailable. The registration website will include additional information and FAQs. Specific information about theme parks, dining, nightlife, golf, recreation and guest programs can be obtained on www.disneyconventionears.com.

The overall theme is ONE World, ONE Plan, ONE Hope

Contributions are especially sought for the following topics:• Linking ex situ and in situ approaches to species management• Global conservation planning – linking intensively managed and

less intensively managed populations• Zoo and aquarium roles in in situ conservation, including

in situ conservation education • Collection sustainability• Telling the story of “One World, One Plan, One Hope:”

innovative interpretation • Interdisciplinary approaches to animal care,

management and welfare

This year, based on last year’s conference feedback, the technical congress will consist of fewer papers, will feature presentations clearly relating to the theme, and will focus on submissions that are broad in scope, rather than case studies. The application form is available at www.waza.org on the home page. Please make sure that the application provides sufficient details regarding the proposed content of the presentation!

Deadline for submission: 31 May 2013.

33WAZA news 2/13

Recent Updates | Membership

To find out more: www.aquariodesaopaulo.com.br

Aquário de São Paulo, Brazil

• Sponsors:

Yara Barros (Foz Tropicana Parque das Aves) and Juan Pablo Guaita (Jardin Zoologico de la Cuidad de Buenos Aires)

• Founded: 2006• Area: 8,000 m2

• Collection: Mammals: 9 species and 27 specimens Birds: 2 species and 15 specimens Reptiles: 19 species and 48 specimens Amphibians: 4 species and 7 specimens Fishes: 238 species and 2,539 specimens Invertebrates: 50 species and 241 specimens

• Staff: 120 permanent, 4 (interns) temporary

• Visitors: 450,000 paying, free entrance 50,000

• Owned by: Private person, profit• Director: Anael Fahel• Members: SZB (Brazilian Society

of Zoos and Aquariums), SPZ (Paulista Society of Zoos), SHAPE of Enrichment –Shape Brazil

• Address: Aquário de São Paulo, Rua Huet Bacelar, 407, Sao Paulo 04271000, Brazil

Considered the largest aquarium of South America, with its 8,000 m² and with more than 3 million litters of wa-ter, the Aquário de São Paulo offers a great variety of attractions.

Throughout our exhibits it is possible to learn about different habitats and species. With more than 3,000 ani-mals and 300 species divided in three different sections (Freshwater, Ma-rine Animals and Mammals and Birds) our visitors are welcome to have a unique experience.

Our main goals are Environmental education, animal welfare and con-servation, providing in situ and ex situ conservation.

Membership Application Nominated as institutional member

Aquário de São Paulo aims to be recognized as a reference in the field of environmental education, conser-vation, research in nutrition, clinical, animal behaviour and as an institu-tion that promotes animal welfare through pioneer actions including development innovative designs of enclosures and development of new husbandry practices.

34 WAZA news 2/13

© Aquário de São Paulo

© Aquário de São Paulo

Entrance of the Aquarium.

Amazone wing.

Recent Updates

Recent Updates | Membership

To find out more: www.flamingoland.co.uk

Flamingo Land, UK

• Sponsors: David Field (ZSL London) and Mark Pilgrim (Chester Zoo)

• Founded: 1959• Area: 150 ha• Collection:

Mammals: 43 species – 86 males,127 females and 116 specimens of unknown sex Birds: 37 species – 110 males, 118 females and 87 specimens of unknown sex Reptiles: 10 species – 14 males, 11 females and 8 specimens of unknown sex Amphibians: 7 species – 17 males, 11 females and 19 specimens of unknown sex Fishes: 21 species – 392 specimens of unknown sex Invertebrates: 2 species – 1 female and 9 specimens of unknown sex

• Staff: 79 permanent, 300 temporary• Visitors: 1,192,000 paying,

7,510 free entrance• Owned by:

Private limited company, profit• Director: Mr. Gordon Gibb• Member of: BIAZA, EAZA, BALPPA,

David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Ryedale Biodiversity Action Partnership

• Address: Flamingo Land, Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire YO17 6UX, UK

Membership Application Nominated as institutional member

Flamingo Land is a theme park and zoo committed to educating the public on biodiversity conservation and supporting conservation causes. Flamingo Land’s Udzungwa Forest Project in Tanzania aims to better conserve tropical forests, and was recipient of the 2011 BIAZA Award for the Best Field Conservation Project. A David Bellamy Gold Award was also presented in 2010 and 2011, for recog-nition of Flamingo Land’s Biodiversity Action Plan (the first of its kind by a zoo) and for CIRCLE (Centre for the Integration of Research, Conservation and Learning; a partnership with the University of York). Our Director of Conservation Science is a member of the BIAZA Field Program Committee, our Zoo Manager is Chairman of the

Association for British Wild Animal Keepers, our Collection Manager is Co-chair of the BIAZA Flamingo Specialist Group, and one of our Zoo Keepers is the International Studbook Keeper for white rhinos and another is the European Studbook Keeper for hammerkop. Around 20% of the animal species at Flamingo Land are on the European Endangered Spe-cies Program. With nearly 1.4 million visitors in 2012, it is currently the UK’s fourth most visited tourist attraction (of those with an entrance fee), and the UK’s most visited zoo.

35WAZA news 2/13

Recent Updates

© Flamingo LandZoo troopers.

To find out more: www.tulsazoo.org

The Tulsa Zoo was established in 1927 as a municipal facility and is located on 82 park-like acres within Mohawk Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. In 2011 the non-profit organization, Tulsa Zoo Management Inc. began operation of the zoo under a long term contract with the city of Tulsa, which still owns the zoo. The Zoo is the largest daily attraction within the region. The Tulsa Zoo reaches over 55,000 children annually through field trips, informal classes and outreach programs.

Tulsa Zoo, USA

• Sponsors:

Mark Reed (Sedgwick County Zoo) and Jeffrey Bonner (Saint Louis Zoo)

• Founded: 1927• Area: 82 acres (33,2 ha)• Collection:

Mammals: 69 species and 313 specimens Birds: 77 species and 237 specimens Reptiles: 93 species and 244 specimens Amphibians: 24 species and 180 specimens Fishes: 195 species and 126 specimens Invertebrates: 114 species and 761 specimens

• Staff: 114 permanent, 40 temporary• Visitors: 371,183 paying and

271,357 free entrance• Owned by: Tulsa Zoo Management Inc.

operates zoo for the City of Tulsa through a contractual agreement

• Director: Terrie Correll• Member: Association of Zoos

and Aquariums (AZA), ISIS• Address: 6421 E. 36th Street North,

Tulsa, OK, USA

The zoo has a diverse collection of species that focuses on the Americas, Asia and Africa. In March, 2012 Helm-erich Sea Lion Cove opened featuring a naturalistic habitat with underwater viewing for zoo guests. The Robert J. LaFortune WildLIFE Trek, a four-building complex spotlighting animal adaptations from the cold to the desert to life in the water will open in March 2013. A new 20 year master plan has been implemented with

new white rhino, snow leopard and Malayan tiger exhibits first to be com-pleted in the next five years. The Tulsa Zoo participates in numerous Species Survival Plans (SSPs). Of special note, are the successful long-term breeding programs for Aldabra tortoise and Diana monkey.

Membership Application Nominated as institutional member

Recent Updates | Membership36 WAZA news 2/13

© Tulsa Zoo

© Tulsa Zoo

Chimp at Tulsa Zoo.

Green tree monitor.

Recent Updates

WAZA news 2/13

© ZSL Long Snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) – male.

www.waza.org

ISSN: 1662-7733

WAZA news 2/13